Immediate past Governor of Zamfara, Bello Matawalle has charged Gov. Dauda Lawal to involve major stakeholders in finding lasting solutions to the security situation bedeviling the state.
This is contained in a statement issued by Matawalle’s spokesman, Yusuf Idris in Abuja on Sunday.
Matawalle, a Minister-designate from Zamfara stated this when he received members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Zamfara Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) at his Abuja residence on Saturday.
“Since he took over the administration of Zamfara from me, all that Dauda Lawal has been doing is political vendetta directed against me while the blood of citizens is being wasted by bandits on a daily basis.
“When I became governor in 2019, I was always in touch with my predecessor, Sen. Abdulaziz Yari and other critical stakeholders to address the insecurity situation in our dear state.
“As it stands now, Dauda is still yet to even appoint a Security Adviser making one to wonder if as the chief executive of the state he has the people who voted him into office at heart,” Matawalle queried.
He said the state government has many ways to confront the security crisis in the area, cautioning that it which may continue to escalate if serious action is not taken.
Matawalle then thanked members of the Chapel for the show of solidarity and for working professionally to promote Zamfara.
Earlier, the Chairman of the chapel, Sani Dutsinma said they were in Abuja to congratulate and wish the former governor well over his nomination for a ministerial position by President Bola Tinubu.
Dutsinma, who presented copy of a book written on Matawalle by the chapel to the minister-designate assured that the media will always partner with him for the benefit of the state.
Reacting, Mustapha Jafaru, spokesman to Gov. Dauda Lawal described Matawalle’s concern as a “fallacy”, saying it will carry no weight in the minds of the people of the state.
“Matawalle has nothing to contribute to the security challenges facing Zamfara at the moment because for the four years he spent as governor, he had not been able to stop the killings by bandits in the state.
“As long as governor Dauda is concerned, he will not contact Matawalle on security and as you know, in less than 100 days in office, the governor has been able to meet and discuss way forward on these challenges with relevant security experts.
“So, the issue is not about appointment of an adviser on security or such irrelevant things but about positive actions to be taken which the governor is doing and recording success,” Jafaru said.
