Coup Attempt Against Tinubu Threatens National Stability, Says Niger APC Chieftain
Hon. Jonathan Vatsa, a former commissioner for Information, Culture, and Tourism and a Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Niger State, has described the thwarted coup against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by a group of military officers as a significant threat to Nigeria’s national stability.
Reacting for the first time after the Defense Headquarters confirmed the incident, Vatsa condemned the primarily northern military officers involved. Speaking in Minna on Wednesday, he warned that if the coup had succeeded, it could have permanently shattered the unity of the country, likening it to the 1966 bloody coup.
“The events of 1966 might have repeated themselves, which would have been disastrous for Nigeria’s unity,” he stated. Vatsa emphasized that Nigeria is now more sophisticated and its people better informed than in 1966, warning that a violent coup could still end the nation.
Expressing concern over the involvement of mostly northern military officers, he argued that, regardless of any perceived faults of President Tinubu, the Buhari administration committed greater sins against Nigerians. “I believe the current situation is worse than during Buhari’s eight years. It is the mess left behind by Buhari that Tinubu is trying to clean up,” he said.
He questioned where the coup plotters were when Buhari’s governance destabilized the country, insinuating bias based on regional origins. “Are they suggesting everything was fine under Buhari because he is from the North, and now everything is wrong under Tinubu? The North should be cautious,” he warned.
Vatsa emphasized the importance of Nigeria’s unity, asserting that the South does not need the North as much as the North needs the South, unless both are deceiving themselves. He highlighted the stark poverty levels in the North, with many youths migrating southward daily for basic jobs, and noted that ongoing insecurity has worsened northern hardships, setting the region back decades.
He criticized political leaders for irresponsibility, linking over-politicization of the military to past mishandling and noting that current security issues trace back to regional misgovernance. Vatsa also condemned the politicization of the judiciary, where court judgments and injunctions are allegedly influenced by monetary gains, citing instances of courts installing politicians and arbitrary election outcomes.
“Elections are now decided at tribunals rather than at polling units,” he concluded.
