Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State has revoked the revered traditional title of Waziri Adamawa held by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
The decision also affects other traditional titleholders who fall outside the new indigeneship requirements.
The governor cited a new policy requiring that all titleholders and council members within emirate councils must be indigenes of the respective chiefdoms.
The development was contained in a circular dated June 20, 2025, and issued by Permanent Secretary of the Department of Chieftaincy Affairs, Mrs. Adama Felicity Mamman, under the Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
The Waziri Adamawa is traditionally regarded as the second most senior figure in the Adamawa Emirate, after the Lamido of Adamawa.
Although officially attributed to non-indigeneship, the decision is widely perceived as stemming from an underlying rift between the two political figures.
Atiku’s removal is widely perceived as a calculated move to weaken his political influence in the state.
