Ex-Senator Dung Gyang Speaks on Security, Electoral Credibility, Realignments in APC

Yemi Kosoko in Jos 

A former Senator for Plateau North, Istifanus Dung Gyang, has placed the issues of state police, electoral reform, and the political permutations surrounding President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid at the centre of Nigeria’s national conversation.

Speaking during an interactive session with journalists in Jos, Gyang said Nigeria could no longer postpone the creation of state police, insisting that the country’s centralised security architecture has failed to respond effectively to local threats.

He argued that insecurity in Plateau North and other parts of the country has exposed the limitations of a system where all security commands were controlled from Abuja.

He welcomed President Bola Tinubu’s recent statement that he was ready to assent to constitutional amendments that devolve policing powers to the states, describing it as “a long‑awaited step many Nigerians have already accepted as inevitable.”

According to him, strengthening community intelligence, isolating criminal elements, and reforming the justice system must accompany the constitutional changes if Nigeria was to break the cycle of violence.

Responding to issues of a one-party state, Gyang rejected suggestions that Nigeria was drifting toward a one-party system. 

He attributed the recent wave of political alignments to improved federal revenue flows following the removal of fuel subsidy, which he said has enabled states to clear salary arrears and execute long-delayed projects. 

He maintained that opposition parties remained active and vocal.