A former Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism in Niger State and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Jonathan Vatsa, has alleged that the recurring violence in Plateau and Benue states is politically motivated and intended to undermine President Bola Tinubu’s administration ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking with journalists at his residence in Minna, the Niger State capital, Vatsa said the recent wave of killings is part of a grand design to paint the Tinubu-led government as ineffective in tackling insecurity.
“In 2014, the same people set both Christians and Muslims against the Jonathan administration, using insecurity as a weapon to poison and deceive Nigerians and set them against the government,” he recalled.
“They funded Boko Haram, bombs were being thrown everywhere in the country, including Abuja and they organised the kidnapping of Chibok school girls all in an attempt to make Jonathan government very unpopular before Nigerians,” he said. “The same people are back on the drawing board again. The killings in Plateau and Benue are all part of the game plan, it is all about 2027, the government should know this by now,” he added.
Vatsa, who currently serves as the Special Adviser on Public-Private Partnership to Niger State Governor Umaru Bago, accused unnamed political actors of orchestrating the crisis for selfish ends.
“These people believe they own Nigeria. If they are not in power, then that government must not work. They will unleash violence and sponsor terrorism to destabilize any administration that refuses to do their bidding,” he said.
He warned that the ultimate goal of these individuals is to create chaos and render the country ungovernable unless President Tinubu bows to their demands.
“Tinubu’s government is the real target of this wave of insecurity. He must act fast and decisively before these political merchants remove him from office through sponsored chaos,” he cautioned.
Despite these concerns, Vatsa expressed confidence in Tinubu’s prospects for re-election in 2027.
“If the clueless and visionless Buhari administration could last eight years, I don’t see what will stop Tinubu in 2027. One thing that I know for sure is that in Niger State, there is no vacancy in the government house in 2027 because all the opposition parties seem to have come to terms with the ‘New Niger Agenda’ and the massive infrastructural transformation of the present administration. But if President Tinubu thinks there is vacancy in Aso Rock in 2027, so be it,” he said.
He also criticised the current approach of the federal government towards individuals allegedly fuelling the violence.
“It’s only in Nigeria that criminals and looters are celebrated while law-abiding citizens suffer. Those who should be in jail are given red carpet treatment just because they pledge loyalty to the ruling government,” Vatsa said.
Advising the President to adopt a tougher stance, he concluded with a blunt message.
“Fighting the current security threats requires a certain level of madness. If the President doesn’t have it, he must acquire it quickly before these people consume his government,” Vatsa warned.
