By NEXTER
Zamafara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has carpeted Governor Dauda Lawal’s call for the sack of the Minister of State for defence, as a condition for him to dump the PDP for the APC.
Yusuf Idris Gusau, APC Publicity Secretary, Zamfara State,said the party came across a news item credited to the Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal giving the condition to president Bola Ahmed Tinubu before joining the APC.
Gusau in a statement obtained by Vital News on Thursday chastised Governor Lawal dor making such a demand.
The full text of the statement from Zamfara State chapter of APC : ” The Zamfara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has come across a news item credited to the Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal giving condition to president Bola Ahmed Tinubu to sack Minister Bello Mohammed Matawalle before he (Dauda) will join APC though a long time ago, the same Zamfara State governor, Dauda Lawal has been playing hide and seek with his people in the ruling PDP in the state as he lobbies presidency on the one hand pleading to be accepted into the APC and tells the PDP members both within and outside the state on the other hand that nothing will make him join the APC which he has always called names.
“His aides too, who dance to the tunes of their paymaster like zombies, never saw anything good in the APC except for the wise ones who have seen in clear terms, the failure of the ruling PDP in the state, come 2027, the return of the APC which mandate was openly stolen, abandon 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, Dr Bello Mohammed Matawalle whose political calculations are unmatched by new entrants like Dauda.
“The governor 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 President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to remove Matawalle owing to what the Dauda’s see as “inadequacies” in the Honourable Minister.
“He doesn’t even allow the President’s billboards erected in any part of the state and wherever they sight 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/Shatima Presidential Campaigns when he served as the Director-General of the whole northwest Campaigns Council and overwhelmingly won in all the states to contribute immensely in bringing the votes in favour of President Tinubu in 2023, 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.
“It is still fresh in our memories as Nigerians that when once the President and Commander-in-Chief directed Matawalle to relocate to the North West region and coordinate the onslaught against banditry with the military high command, during which many of the criminals announced their surrender, the minister initially tried to set up operational base in Zamfara State (which is considered the epicentre) of the criminals but unfortunately, governor Dauda never gave the permission even though it indirectly came from the President himself.
“The base ultimately was moved to Sokoto when the governor, Ahmed Aliyu happily welcomed the military personnel and the operation recorded appreciable success.
“Then lately too, with the kidnap of the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga in Kebbi State, the President again directed Matawalle to coordinate the onerous task alongside the military and in less than a week, all 24 students were safely rescued and handed over to the Kebbi state governor Idris who handed them back to their happy parents.
“While all these were happening, Governor Dauda Lawal and his aides keep showing deliberate pessimism and calling for Matawalle’s head.
Meanwhile, Matawalle on the other hand and the state APC leader, has been receiving decampees especially from the ruling PDP both in Abuja and in Zamfara, including many PDP chieftains and leaders to the disappointment of the PDP.
“The APC National Secretariat, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as well as the presidency are all watching this scenario including Dauda’s initial moves to also decamp to the APC but 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.
“Seeing that he was leg dragging and in order to create a window for him, Minister Matawalle at a news conference said, the party was ready to receive Dauda Lawal once he comes through the right channel, shortly after which both Dauda and his supporters went to the press insulting the minister, the President and the APC which they said have taken the nation backwards, and that they will never have anything to do with the APC.
“Surprisingly, the same Dauda Lawal is now showing his shameless face and even giving conditions over how he will join the APC once President Bola Ahmed 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 hands.”
