A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Niger State and former Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Hon. Jonathan Vatsa, has resigned his membership of the ruling party.
Vatsa, who was the pioneer publicity secretary of the APC in Niger State, announced his resignation in a letter dated October 19, 2026, addressed to the APC chairman of Gulu Anguwa-Gulu Vatsa Ward in Lapai Local Government Area.
In the letter, a copy of which was made available to journalists in Minna on Sunday, the former commissioner said his decision to leave the party was personal.
“I write to inform you of my decision to resign my membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Niger State, with effect from Monday, October 19, 2026,” he stated.
Vatsa added that the decision followed consultations with his family, friends and political associates.
He also thanked the party for giving him the opportunity to serve in various capacities during his 13 years of membership.
Before the formation of the APC through the merger of opposition parties in 2013, Vatsa was a member of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). He subsequently emerged as the pioneer publicity secretary of the APC in Niger State and played a role in the party’s victory in the 2015 general elections.
Following the party’s electoral victory, he was appointed Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism by former Governor Abubakar Sani Bello in 2015.
He was dropped during a cabinet reshuffle in 2017 but was subsequently appointed coordinator of public communication.
In 2023, Vatsa was appointed Special Adviser on Public-Private Partnership by Governor Umaru Mohammed Bago before later serving as an adviser on media and communication. He was subsequently dropped from the administration in December, according to the account of his political career.
Vatsa has also been a vocal critic of the Muslim-Muslim ticket adopted by the APC at the presidential level and maintained in Niger State ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He has repeatedly argued that political appointments and elective offices should reflect religious balance, warning that the party’s decision to retain same-faith tickets could undermine its electoral prospects in 2027.
His resignation comes amid the political realignments and disagreements within the ruling party as politicians position themselves ahead of the next general elections.
Although Vatsa described his departure as a personal decision, his longstanding opposition to the same-faith ticket and his reported distance from the Niger State Government House have drawn attention to the political circumstances surrounding his exit.
