The Niger State Government has debunked insinuations that the order by Governor Umaru Mohammed Bago for the closure of Baddegi FM radio station was politically motivated.
The special adviser to the governor on communication media and strategy, Jonathan Vatsa, in a statement in Minna argued that some contents in the station’s broadcast amount to incitement.
Vatsa insisted that the governor cannot descend so low to the level of attacking a radio station because an opposition figure aired his view.
He claimed that the pronouncement made by the governor was exaggerated
Recall that the governor on Friday last week directed that the radio station be closed down and its license withdrawn, accusing it of inciting the public against the government.
The directive was criticized by stakeholders in the media industry, who questioned the governor’s constitutional power to order the closure of the station.
Defending the directive, Vatsa specifically referred to a comment by the General Manager of the station, Aisha Badeggi that Governor Bago was not comfortable with the interview granted to the station by a former chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Mallam Mohammed Mamman Nani, on the performance of the government in the last two years.
While speaking on Channels Television’s programme, ‘Morning Brief’, Aisha Badeggi had challenged the governor “to come up with any verifiable evidence of public incitement against the government or unethical behavior by the station”.
She 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 rumour that he is eying the governor’s seat in 2027.”
Vatsa who dismissed the insinuation as baseless said the governor is not afraid of a contest in 2027 as his achievements across the state will speak for him at the polls.
According to him, “The governor has never lost election since 2007 when he contested his first political office into the House of Representatives where he served for three consecutive terms in office.
“Therefore he is not panicking about his re-election in 2027 because he has achieved what no governor in the history of the state has achieved.”
He noted the recent endorsement of the governor and President Bola Tinubu by All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders in the state is a clear indication that there is no vacancy in the Government House in 2027.
Vatsa further stated that the state government welcomes constructive criticism, which can help pinpoint gaps in its initiatives.
