… Says, “Governor’s order has nothing to do with 2027”
BY OUR REPORTER
Following the recent drama in the state where Governor Umaru Mohammed Bago order the closure of a Minna based private FM Radio Station, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Communication Media and Strategy, Hon. Jonathan Vatsa has said that the action was not politically motivated.
While saying that some contents in its broadcast amount to inciting the public, the Media Aide dismissed the insinuation that the order was because of the Governor’s reelection. Adding that, it was baseless, “the governor is not afraid of a contest in 2027, his achievements will speak for him at the polls”.
In a statement made available to Journalists on Wednesday, Special Adviser said the Governor cannot descend so low to the level of attacking a radio station because an opposition figure aired his view.
Recalled that the governor on Friday last week during the APC stakeholders meeting at the government house directed that the radio station be closed down and it’s license withdrawn, accusing it of inciting the public against the government.
This has however generated wild reactions from critical stakeholders in the media industry, questioning the governor’s constitutional power to order the closure of the station.
Vatsa while debunking the insinuations, specifically referred to a comment by the general manager of the station, Aisha Badeggi that the Governor was not comfortable with the interview granted to the station by the former Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Mallam Mohammed Mamman Nani on the performance of the government in the last two years in office.
It should be noted that Aisha, had challenged the governor to come up with any verifiable evidence of public incitement against the government or unethical behavior by the station.
In a live interview on Channels Television, Badeggi said “maybe the Governor is not comfortable with the interview granted to the station by former Chairman of the federal inland revenue service because there is the rumor that his eying the Governor’s seat in 2027”.
Vatsa dismissed the insinuation as baseless, saying that the governor is not afraid of a contest in 2027 as his achievements will speak for him at the polls.
He pointed out that the recent endorsement of the governor and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by the All Progressive Congress (APC) stakeholders in the state is a clear indication that there is no vacancy in the Government House in 2027.
According to him, “the ongoing aggressive transformation of the infrastructures across the state, the first of its kind since the creation of the state is enough to earn the governor a second term in office.
“The governor is not panicking about his re-election in 2027 because he has achieved what no governor in the history of the state has achieved. His work will speak for him at the polls.
“He is the people’s governor, he has never lost an election since 2007 when he contested first political office into the House of Representatives where he served for three consecutive terms in office”.
While claiming that the pronouncement by the governor was over exaggerated, Vatsa said the government is open to constructive criticism, adding that “constructive criticism will enable us as government to know where there are gaps. The governor is not a magician, he is a human being”.
