Former Niger State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Hon Jonathan Vatsa has joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP), barely two weeks after resigning from the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Vatsa, a former state publicity secretary of the APC, was received on Wednesday at his Gulu Anguwan-Gulu Vatsa ward in Lapai Local Government Area. Ward Chairman Adamu Mohammed Baba issued him a membership card.
The move ends speculation over his next step after he quit the ruling party, accusing it of betraying Nigerians’ trust.
More than 200 supporters from the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) defected with him. They came from Evuti Pada, Ebbo Gbacheko, Muye Egba, Gupa Abuge and Gulu Anguwan-Gulu Vatsa. The supporters said his exit from the APC was long overdue because the party has “nothing to offer Nigerians except excuses.” They said they would follow him because he has always carried them along in his political decisions.
The ward chairman described Vatsa as a “big fish” and said his contribution to the area’s development was unequalled. “The party has further pushed Nigerians below the poverty line. People are merely struggling to survive, and that is why Nigerians must vote them out in 2027,” he said. He added that the SDP is confident of taking over power in Niger State in 2027 and looks to Vatsa for leadership direction.
The party’s ward youth leader, Mallam Said Mohammed, assured Vatsa he would not regret joining one of Nigeria’s oldest parties, which he said has strong structures waiting for people like him.
Vatsa said he chose the SDP because he trusts its governorship candidate, Mohammed Mohammed Ndarani (SAN). “The governorship candidate means well for the state, and his track record of achievements makes him a man that can be trusted with power,” he said.
He called the APC administration in the state the worst since 1999, with nothing to show for its resources. He said he consistently criticised the mismanagement of public funds while in the party. “This is a government that has enormous resources from the federal account, including loans, yet you cannot point to a single completed project worth ₦5 billion,” he said.
Vatsa urged residents to get their Permanent Voter Cards ready to vote the government out. “Political parties do not make people; people make political parties,” he said, adding that the SDP would soon “stamp its authority” in the state and take over in 2027.
The APC has not yet responded to the claims.