Jonathan Vatsa, a former Niger State commissioner for information, culture, and tourism and a leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has claimed that the increasing violence in Plateau and Benue states is a part of a calculated political plot to topple President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government in advance of the general elections in 2027.
Speaking to reporters at his Minna home on Sunday, Vatsa characterized the murders in the North Central area as planned by “political merchants” who wanted to undermine Tinubu’s authority.
In 2014, the same individuals turned Muslims and Christians against the Jonathan administration, using insecurity as a tool to confuse and poison Nigerians, he said. Cultural tours in Nigeria
Bombs were being thrown everywhere, including Abuja, and they were funding Boko Haram. They planned the abduction of Chibok schoolgirls in an effort to demonize the Jonathan administration in the eyes of Nigerians.
Vatsa cautioned that the resurgence of violence is not a coincidence, drawing comparisons between the time of Goodluck Jonathan and the current period.
“The same individuals are starting over from scratch. There is a strategy behind the murders in Plateau and Benue. It all comes down to 2027. By now, the administration ought to be aware of this,” he continued.
Vatsa, who is currently Governor Umaru Bago of Niger State’s Special Advisor on Public Private Partnership (PPP), was blunt in his criticism of certain power blocs for allegedly planning disruption for political ends.
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“These people think they own Nigeria,” he said. That government cannot function if they are not in charge. To topple any government that doesn’t comply with their demands, they will incite violence and fund terrorism.
He called on President Tinubu to act swiftly, stating that if the plotters are not stopped, the nation might become unruly and his government’s basis could be threatened. Cultural tours in Nigeria
The true aim of this insecurity wave is Tinubu’s administration. He needs to move quickly and forcefully before these political operatives use sponsored turmoil to unseat him,” he said.
Vatsa was upbeat about President Tinubu’s chances of winning reelection in spite of the worries, claiming that his record and the public’s support would surpass the present upheaval.
“I don’t see anything that will stop Tinubu in 2027 if the naive and uninspired Buhari administration could survive for eight years.”
Citing the broad support for Governor Bago’s “New Niger Agenda” and the advancements in infrastructure made during the APC-led government, he also discounted the prospects of opposition parties in Niger State.
“There is no vacancy in the government house in Niger State in 2027,” he said. It appears that every opposition party has accepted the present administration’s developmental program.
However, Vatsa called for stricter action and accountability, criticizing the federal government’s alleged laxity toward those responsible for violent crimes.
