The Zamfara chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has condemned Gov. Lawal’s call for the removal of the Minister of State for Defence, Dr Bello Matawalle.
The State APC Publicity Secretary, Malam Yusuf Idris, stated in a statement issued in Gusau on Thursday.
Idris stated that the state APC chapter has come across a news item credited to Lawal giving condition to president Bola Tinubu to sack Matawalle before he will join APC, though a long time ago.
He said, “The same Governor, Dauda Lawal has been playing hide and seek with his people in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state as he lobbies presidency on the one hand pleading to be accepted into the APC.
“The governor has told PDP members both within and outside the state that nothing will make him join the APC which he has always called names.
“Gov. Lawal’s aides, who dance to the tunes of their paymaster like zombies, never saw anything good in the APC
“This is so except for the wise ones who have seen in clear terms the failure of the ruling PDP in the state vme 2027, the return of the APC which mandate was openly stolen, abandoned the PDP to declare their loyalty to the APC.
“Dauda’s major political rival in the whole world, is his predecessor, now Minister of State for Defence, Matawalle, whose political calculations are unmatched by new entrants like Dauda.”
Idris said Lawal has made several attempts while presenting himself as the governor to condemn all the good efforts Matawalle has been making to ensure peace in all parts of the country by calling on Tinubu to remove Matawalle owing to what the Dauda SAW as “inadequacies” in the minister.
Idris expressed dismay that the PDP-led government doesn’t even allow the president’s billboards to be erected in any part of the state.
He added, “Wherever they ser any, they send their thugs to destroy it, yet now, he wants to join the APC by giving conditions without meeting the party’s own conditions.
“It is to Matawalle’s credit that right from the Tinubu/Shetima Presidential Campaigns when he served as the Director-General of the whole North-West Campaigns Council and overwhelmingly won in all the states to contribute immensely in bringing the votes in favour of President Tinubu in 2023.
“Matawalle never failed in effectively discharging his assigned responsibilities particularly special assignments coming directly from the President in combating insecurity particularly in the northwest and the nation in general.
“The base ultimately was moved to Sokoto when Gov Ahmed Aliyu happily welcomed the military personnel and the operation recorded appreciable success.
“While all these were happening, Gov. Dauda Lawal and his aides keep showing deliberate pessimism and calling for Matawalle’s head.”
According to Idris, Matawalle on the other hand and the state APC leader, has been receiving defectors especially from the ruling PDP both in Abuja and in Zamfara, including many PDP chieftains and leaders to the disappointment of the PDP.
He added, “The APC National Secretariat, President Bola Tinubu as well as the presidency are all watching this scenario including Dauda’s initial moves to also decamp to the APC.
“But he is playing the chameleon due to his arrogance to come to the state APC leader, Matawalle to declare his interest as provided in the party constitution.
“Surprisingly, Dauda Lawal is now showing his shameless face and even giving conditions over how he will join the APC once President Bola Tinubu sacks Matawalle not knowing that Matawalle is far more politically relevant than the governor whose party members are evading for the APC via Matawalle’s efforts.
‘Dauda is definitely not in the position to bargain, but let him humble himself by coming to the party leaders of the state and declare his allegiance and loyalty so that he can be accepted.
“He can start by releasing the 270 innocent members of the APC whom he has incarcerated just because they are APC members, then he can come with clean hand.”
