The Social Democratic Party, SDP, in Niger State has accused Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago of prioritising his 2027 re-election ambition over the safety of residents amid rising attacks, kidnappings and killings across the state.

The party alleged that armoured personnel carriers, APCs, purchased by the state government to combat insecurity had remained parked at Government House for over two years instead of being deployed to security agencies.

The accusation followed the alleged abduction of 50 pupils of an Islamic school in Maikujeri, Rafi Local Government Area, on Saturday by gunmen suspected to be bandits.

The pupils were reportedly abducted while working on a farm belonging to one of their teachers, who was also taken away.

In a statement issued in Minna on Monday, Johnathan Vatsa, spokesperson for the SDP governorship candidate Mohammed Ndarani Mohammed, blamed the governor for what he described as the government's failure to adequately equip security agencies.

Vatsa noted that the agencies lacked operational vehicles and other essential equipment to confront armed groups, adding that government responses to attacks had largely been limited to condemnations and condolence messages.

He said, "The current situation has overwhelmed the security agencies because this government has failed to properly equip them. The security agencies in the state lack operational vehicles and other necessary equipment to confront the situation."

The SDP spokesperson specifically questioned why APCs, allegedly purchased by the administration in its early days, had not been released to security agencies.

He claimed the vehicles had remained unused at Government House for more than two years despite persistent attacks on communities.

"Who is he going to campaign to when the people are being killed or kidnapped and many rendered homeless? What are armoured vehicles meant for? Are they meant to protect the governor during campaigns? These important vehicles are bought with taxpayers' money because of the security challenges in the state.

"The governor should release them to the security agencies to enable them to protect innocent villagers. Enough of this killing and kidnapping in the state," he said.

Vatsa also faulted the government's alleged explanation that the vehicles had not been released because security agencies lacked the capacity to maintain them.

"If the government knows that the security agencies cannot maintain these vehicles, then why did you buy them? This excuse amounts to calling a dog a bad name in order to hang it. The governor is prioritising his personal safety over that of the larger population," he added.

The SDP spokesman maintained that the abduction of the pupils and recurring attacks across Niger State could have been prevented if security agencies were adequately equipped.

He urged the governor to release the armoured vehicles and take concrete measures to protect residents rather than focus on political activities ahead of the 2027 elections.

However, responding to the allegations, the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Hon. Obed Nuhu Nana, dismissed claims that the vehicles were being withheld by the state government or reserved for use during the 2027 elections.

The commissioner described the allegations as speculation, insisting that the vehicles were already with the military and under its control.

"The vehicles are already with the military, and they are the ones in control of their deployment and usage. Those alleging that the vehicles are being kept at Government House should provide evidence. They are not at Government House.

"Journalists can also verify this from the Commanding Officer of the Training and Doctrine Command, TRADOC," he insisted.

The commissioner maintained that Governor Bago procured the vehicles long before the current political season, questioning suggestions that they were intended for electoral purposes.

SDP accuses Niger govt of keeping armoured vehicles at Government House amid insecurity

The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Niger State has dragged four opposition parties before the Federal High Court in Minna, seeking to stop their candidates from participating in the 2027 general elections over alleged breaches of the Electoral Act, 2026.

The suit is targeting candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Social Democratic Party, SDP, Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, and African Democratic Congress, ADC, who reportedly defected from the APC after losing its May 2026 primary elections.

Those affected include PDP governorship candidate, Mohammed Mamman Nami; SDP governorship candidate, Mohammed Ndarani Mohammed; and ADC deputy governorship candidate, Musa Mamman.

Also listed are Sadiq Mohammed Rabiu and Peter Jiya, contesting the Niger South Senatorial seat for the NDC and PDP respectively, alongside several NDC candidates for the House of Representatives and Niger State House of Assembly.

The APC, in an originating summons marked FHC/MN/2026, is challenging the validity of their nominations, arguing that they were not registered members of the parties that eventually nominated them when the statutory membership registration window closed.

The party's case, as contained in an affidavit sworn to by its state chairman, Aminu Musa Bobi, is that the politicians remained APC members between April 21 and May 10, 2026, when political parties were required to submit their digital membership registers to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

According to the APC, the affected politicians only moved to the opposition parties after participating in and losing the ruling party's primaries in May.

It argued that their absence from the membership registers submitted by the new parties disqualified them from seeking elective positions on those platforms.

The party is relying on Section 77 of the Electoral Act, 2026, particularly subsections (5) and (7), which it says restrict participation in party primaries to persons whose names appear in the membership registers submitted to INEC.

The legal challenge also questions INEC's decision to publish the candidates' names on October 10, followed by a press release on October 13, despite what the APC described as their failure to meet the statutory requirements.

In its written address, the party's legal team, comprising six Senior Advocates of Nigeria, also invoked the September 24, 2026 Supreme Court judgment in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party & Ors, arguing that the electoral commission failed to apply the ruling consistently in Niger State.

The APC alleged that INEC had acted on the Supreme Court's position in governorship contests in other states but failed to similarly address the eligibility of affected governorship and legislative candidates in Niger.

It wants the court to declare the candidates ineligible, nullify INEC's publication of their names and compel the commission to remove them from the list of candidates for the 2027 elections.

The party is also seeking an order preventing INEC from recognising the affected politicians or including their names on ballot papers.

The case is yet to be assigned a hearing date.

APC moves to disqualify opposition candidates in Niger