Gov Matawalle attacks APC over comments on Schoolgirls abduction

Abdullahi HammedFebruary 28, 2021

0 3 minutes read

The Zamfara State governor, Bello Mohammed Matawalle, has replied the All progressives Congress (APC) over its claimed that the ruling PDP in the state caused the bandits for abducting over 300 students of Government Girls Junior Secondary School, Jangebe in Talata Mafara Local Government Area of the State.

Newsflash had reported that the APC had lamented that governor Matawalle’s peace accord and reconciliation process with bandits in the state has been the cause of rampant cases of banditry in the state.

Matawalle, reacting declared that the state APC caretaker committee chairman, Hon. Lawal Liman Kaura should be mindful of his utterances, saying that merciless killings in the state started during the unfortunate tenure of the All progressives Congress (APC) under Alhaji Abdul Aziz Yari.

Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle who spoke through his Director-General, Media and Public Enlightenment, Comrade Yusuf Idris Gusau, said he never wanted to join issues with the APC leaders in the state, but that they were forcing him to break his silence.

“It is worthy of note that the governor had passionately said that this time is not for trading blames, but the mischief-makers rather saw the call as a way of further attacking the positive effort of his excellency in trying to bring everyone to save our daughters from this traumatic situatio.

“The governor’s appeal must not, however, be seen as a weakness because he has the strong support and prayers of the generality of Zamfara populace and is confident that the abductees will soon regain their freedom and reunite with their respective families.”

According to comrade Gusau, the state APC chairman should also know that the law will catch up with anyone found to have a hand directly or indirectly in the state’s security challenges, stressing that such persons or groups, however highly placed, would be ready to face the consequences of their actions.

“It is highly disheartening to see a statement emanating from the Caretaker Chairman, Alhaji Lawal M. Liman of the opposition APC trying to heat the polity by describing what happened as the fault of the governor as if the governor had a premonition on the abduction. Or is it that he is still vexing over his inability to bind all members of the APC together which is making them to defect to the PDP where they have more hope in the realization of a better Zamfara?

“Blinded by his opposition tendencies and not seeing anything good in the PDP and Matawalle-led administration, the APC chieftain has forgotten that the security of the country is wholly under the federal government with states only providing supportive and or complementary roles, a development which at one point forced the former APC governor of the state, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar to declare that he was not in charge of the security of Zamfara, abandoning his sworn protection of the people’s lives and property.”

Comrade Gusau noted that if this latest development had any failure, it should be noted and explained to Lawal Liman that he should first comment and defend all similar abductions which occurred in APC states including Chibok in Borno, Dapchi in Yobe, Kankara in Katsina and Kagara in Niger which are all under APC leadership.

“I also wish to draw the attention of critical minds on the video that went viral of APC supporters and members jubilating over the kidnap of the Jangebe girls because they were driven by political sentiments and forgetting what trauma the students, their parents, the Zamfara government, the federal government of Nigeria and good people all over the world felt and were going through as a result of the abduction.

“Yet, these same kinds of people want to return to power in Zamfara, using every opportunity to castigate government even though it is not time for politicking but time for sober reflections. It is still fresh in the minds of Nigerians and Zamfara people that when the APC was in power, hundreds of people were killed at once with the governor hardly staying in the state when his people lived in perpetual fear.”