From John Adams, Minna
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism in Niger State, Hon Jonathan Vatsa, has dumped the party.
Hon Jonathan Vatsa, formerly of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) before the merger in 2014, became the pioneer publicity secretary of the APC in Niger State where he helped the party win the 2015 elections in the state.
He later became the commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism under ex-Governor Abubakar Sani Bello’s administration in 2015.
In 2017, he was dropped after a minor cabinet reshuffle and was appointed coordinator, Public Communication.
He was appointed Special Adviser on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) under the present administration of Umaru Mohammed Bago in 2023, and later on Media and Communication before he was dropped by the governor in December this year.
In a letter of resignation addressed to the APC chairman of Gulu Anguwa-Gulu Vatsa Ward in Lapai Local Government Area of the state and dated 19 October 2026, Vatsa said his decision to quit the party was personal.
Part of the letter reads: “I write to inform you of my decision to resign my membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Niger State, with effect from Monday, 19 October 2026.”
In the three-paragraph letter, a copy of which was made available to newsmen in Minna on Sunday, the former publicity secretary also said: “My decision to relinquish my membership of the party was taken after due consultation with my family, friends and political associates.”
Vatsa thanked the party for the opportunity given to him to serve in various capacities over the last 13 years of his membership of the party.
It could be recalled that Vatsa has remained one of the critical voices against the same-faith ticket at all levels ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He has maintained his opposition against the Muslim-Muslim tickets at both the presidency and the governorship levels, warning that the party faces possible doom in the 2027 general elections.
Since the governor, Umaru Mohammed Bago, maintained the Muslim-Muslim arrangement in the state for 2027, he has kept a distance from Government House, insisting that there must be balance in the sharing of political appointments and elective offices in the state.