A prominent chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Niger State, Jonathan Vatsa, has alleged that the recent surge in violence across Plateau and Benue states is politically motivated and aimed at discrediting the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking in Minna on Thursday, Vatsa, who also serves as the Special Adviser on Public-Private Partnership to Governor Umaru Mohammed Bago, drew parallels between the current situation and the tactics allegedly deployed against former President Goodluck Jonathan in the lead-up to the 2015 elections.
“In 2014, the same individuals used insecurity to set Christians and Muslims against the Jonathan administration, thereby deceiving Nigerians and orchestrating the government’s fall,” he said. “They’re back again. The killings in Plateau and Benue are part of a grand political strategy targeted at 2027.”
Vatsa accused unnamed political actors of sponsoring violence and insecurity in a calculated effort to make the Tinubu administration appear weak and unpopular, thereby clearing the path for their preferred candidates in the next presidential election.
He warned that unless President Tinubu moves swiftly and decisively to address the escalating security challenges, his government could face serious consequences.
“The government is aware of the sponsors of these attacks but appears reluctant to confront them,” he lamented. “These are political merchants who believe that if they are not in power, then no government should succeed.”
Despite his concerns, Vatsa expressed optimism that the insecurity would not derail Tinubu’s re-election prospects in 2027, noting that previous administrations had survived similar turmoil and completed their tenures.
He called for bold leadership and a firm response from the presidency to neutralize what he described as politically engineered insecurity threatening national unity and progress.
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