Bello Matawalle, former governor of Zamfara, has accused
Daudu Lawal, his successor, of waging “a political vendetta” against him
instead of focusing on the security challenges of the state.
Yusuf Idris, Matawalle’s spokesperson, said the former
governor spoke on Saturday when he received members of Zamfara chapter of the
Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) at his Abuja residence.
He said Lawal’s actions since he assumed office begs the question
of whether he has the interest of the masses at heart.
He asked Lawal to involve major stakeholders in finding
lasting solutions to the security issues bedeviling the state.
“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,” Matawalle said.
“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.”
He said the state government has many ways to confront the
security crisis, warning that it may continue to escalate if serious action is
not taken.
MATAWALLE ‘UNABLE TO
STOP KILLINGS’
In reaction, Mustapha Jafaru, Lawal’s spokesperson,
described the ex-govenor’s concern as a “fallacy”.
Jafaru said Matawalle has nothing to contribute to Zamfara
security challenges “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,” Jafaru said.
“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.”
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