Former Niger State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Jonathan Vatsa, has been appointed Spokesperson and Director of Contacts and Mobilisation of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, governorship campaign council ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Vatsa recently defected from the All Progressives Congress, APC, to the SDP.

The SDP governorship candidate, Mohammed Ndarani Mohammed, SAN, announced the appointments in a letter personally signed by him and made available to journalists in Minna on Friday.

The appointments came barely 48 hours after Vatsa defected from the APC to the SDP alongside more than 200 supporters.

Ndarani described Vatsa, a former pioneer Publicity Secretary of the APC in Niger State, as an outspoken politician with considerable grassroots influence, media experience and mobilisation capacity.

He said the former commissioner's political experience and communication skills would strengthen the SDP's efforts to challenge the ruling APC in the state in 2027.

"Your appointment is a testament to your towering political profile, fearless advocacy, exceptional oratory, media management skills, profound grassroots penetration and unmatched mobilisation prowess," the letter stated.

The SDP candidate said Vatsa's dual responsibilities as campaign spokesperson and Director of Contacts and Mobilisation were deliberate and strategic, given his experience in media communication and grassroots politics.

Ndarani described him as one of the most fearless, vocal and respected political voices in the state.

"You speak powerfully and you mobilise massively. We need your voice to shape public opinion and your network to deliver the votes," he added.

As campaign spokesperson, Vatsa is expected to communicate the party's five-point agenda to voters and serve as the official voice of the campaign council.

In his capacity as Director of Contacts and Mobilisation, he will coordinate grassroots campaign activities across the state's 25 local government areas, 247 political wards and 4,950 polling units.

His responsibilities also include mobilising community leaders, traditional institutions and religious organisations, as well as coordinating house-to-house, door-to-door, market-to-market and farm-to-farm campaigns.

Niger: Vatsa appointed SDP campaign spokesperson, days after dumping APC

Former Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, Sam Amadi, has expressed reservations about the Federal High Court judgment disqualifying Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, as the All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate for the Imo West senatorial election.

DAILY POST reports that the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday ruled that Uzodimma was not the rightful winner of the APC primary election conducted in May this year.

The court also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to replace the governor with former Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha, whom it declared the authentic winner of the party's primary election.

Reacting to the judgment in a post on his official Facebook page on Friday, Amadi suggested that Uzodimma might have been unfairly treated.

He cited a video clip showing the governor addressing journalists in the presence of a large crowd of APC members during the primary election as part of his reason for questioning the circumstances surrounding the judgment.

"Hope Uzodimma may be guilty of many things. But it does not mean he is guilty of everything. It MAY not be true that he is not rightfully the candidate of APC for the Orlu Zone Senate position.

"I saw video and television report of Hope Uzodinma standing with his wife on the line with a sizable crowd behind him.

"The Igbos say that a child that often cries does not make it easy to know when he is beaten. Hope cries a lot. When he is a victim of injustice we may not pay attention.

"Let us see the evidence of Okorocha’s primary election. We are not a court, but we can say, “oh probably his crowd is bigger than Hope’s”, he said.

Okorocha: ‘Uzodimma may be facing injustice’ – Sam Amadi references video evidence