From Yakubu Mustapha, Minna
Jonathan Tsado Vatsa, a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Commissioner for Information, Culture, and Tourism in Niger State, has raised an alarm over the state of the nation, warning that the judiciary and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) could plunge Nigeria into political anarchy ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking to journalists in Minna following a thanksgiving service to mark his 64th birthday, Vatsa described the persistent leadership crises rocking the country’s opposition parties as “sponsored distractions” designed to weaken the democratic process.
Vatsa expressed grave concern over the current political trajectory, stating that the actions of key democratic institutions are raising red flags.
He urged Nigerians to hold the judiciary and INEC directly responsible if the country’s hard-earned democracy collapses in 2027, citing institutional body language that threatens stability.
The former cabinet member noted that current political and security indicators heavily point toward potential anarchy if systemic injustices are not checked.
Turning his attention inward, the former APC State Publicity Secretary declared that the ruling party is sitting on a political time bomb that far outweighs the internal squabbles of the opposition.
“The crisis brewing in the APC is worse than the crises in all the opposition parties put together, and it will soon explode.
“For the APC not to have announced the results of its primary elections almost two months after they were conducted shows the party is in a deep mess,” he stated.
Vatsa warned that the day the party officially releases the primary results will mark the beginning of the “mother of all crises” within the APC, attributing the delay to a severe lack of equity, fairness, and internal democracy during the exercises.
Vatsa sharply criticized the political manipulation during the primaries, specifically pointing out the situation in Niger State.
He alleged that 80% of the emerged candidates were selected through a “Government House-arranged consensus,” describing it as “the biggest political deceit since the return of democracy in 1999.”
He questioned the fairness of the system, asking how a party can justify clearing an individual seeking a sixth term in office while blocking another aspirant who is merely seeking a second term.
Vatsa concluded by warning that the current culture of silence and impunity within the ruling party will eventually boomerang.
“If a political party cannot be fair to its own members, how can it be fair to the larger society?” he asked, noting that the current peace is artificial because a few individuals are currently benefiting at the expense of the majority.
