Minister of State for Defence Bello Mohammed Matawalle (L) and Zamfara Governor Dauda Lawal (R)
Zamfara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has taken a swipe at Governor Dauda Lawal over his alleged demand that President Bola Tinubu sack the Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Bello Matawalle, before he would consider joining the ruling party.
In a statement released in Gusau on Thursday, the APC’s State Publicity Secretary, Malam Yusuf Idris, dismissed the governor’s reported stance as “politically unserious” and “deeply hypocritical.”
According to Idris, the party was surprised to see Governor Lawal—who once openly rejected the APC—now lobbying behind the scenes for acceptance into the party while allegedly giving conditions for his defection.
“The same Governor, Dauda Lawal, has been playing hide-and-seek with his people in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as he lobbies the presidency on one hand, pleading to be accepted into the APC,” he said.
Idris added that the governor had repeatedly assured PDP members that “nothing will make him join the APC,” a party he has often criticised. He further accused Lawal’s aides of echoing that hostility.
“Gov. Lawal’s aides, who dance to the tunes of their paymaster like zombies, never saw anything good in the APC,” he stated.
The APC spokesman said the governor’s alleged fixation on Matawalle stems from political rivalry, noting that the former governor’s influence remains strong.
“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 declared.
He criticised Governor Lawal for allegedly downplaying Matawalle’s contributions to national security and demanding his removal over what the governor considered “inadequacies.”
Idris argued that Matawalle has been instrumental in key security operations across the North-West and has remained loyal to President Tinubu.
“Matawalle never failed in effectively discharging his assigned responsibilities, particularly special assignments coming directly from the President in combating insecurity,” he said.
Idris, further, accused the PDP-led state government of blocking pro-Tinubu billboards within Zamfara.
“Wherever they see any, they send their thugs to destroy it,” he alleged.
The statement also highlighted the wave of defections from the PDP to the APC, which Idris credited to Matawalle’s growing political influence at both the state and national levels.
“The APC National Secretariat, President Bola Tinubu, as well as the presidency are watching this scenario, including Dauda’s initial moves to also decamp to the APC,” he noted.
According to Idris, the governor lacks the political standing to impose conditions on the party.
“Dauda is definitely not in the position to bargain. Let him humble himself by coming to the party leaders of the state and declare his allegiance and loyalty so he can be accepted,” he said.
Idris concluded by urging Governor Lawal to show genuine sincerity by releasing “the 270 innocent APC members” he claims are being detained “just because they are APC members.”
