Tag: Zamfara

By Paul Musa

The place of state governors in the socio-political development of Nigeria cannot be over-emphasised. The governors dictate the pace of politics and governance in the country.

 Against that background, it is customary for state governors to collaborate and maintain cordial relationship with federal cabinet ministers appointed from their states. This tradition, transcending party differences, is rooted in the belief that such cooperation is necessary to strengthen the state’s position at the federal level.

Consequently, the common but implicit expectation is that the state governor, as the political leader, should rise above personal or political rivalries to work collaboratively with the minister from his state, whom the president entrusts responsibility as his representative at the federal cabinet.

Unfortunately, this expected synergy has not been the case in Zamfara State where Governor Dauda Lawal and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), seem to have made it their mission to undermine the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Mohammed Matawalle. Ever since Matawalle’s appointment, the hostility from the camp of the governor and the PDP in Zamfara has been unrelenting. A content review of newspaper headlines for the most part would reveal a barrage of orchestrated attacks, all aimed at painting the minister in a negative light.

 What could be Matawalle’s perceived crime? Simple. Securing a ministerial appointment in President Tinubu’s administration and remaining a formidable political figure in the Northwest.

The PDP’s actions escalated when the party was caught the whirlwind of rumours of a cabinet reshuffle by President Tinubu. This resulted in sponsored protests to pressure the president into removing Matawalle.     

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 Fortunately, these efforts proved futile and the minister was retained to continue his good works. And, not only did President Tinubu retain Matawalle in his cabinet, he let him keep his role as Minister of State for defence, a decision that has been hailed as a resounding vote of confidence in the minister’s capabilities, competences and loyalty.

 The president’s decision to retain Matawalle underscores his pivotal role, not just in the Northwest, but also across Nigeria. Matawalle has demonstrated capacity in combating banditry, a scourge that has plagued Zamfara and the wider north-western region for years. As a former governor of Zamfara State, Matawalle’s appointment reflects the federal government’s trust in his ability to address this critical issue and he has repaid that confidence with the felling of bandit kingpins including Halilu Sububu.

 Beyond his achievements in security however, Matawalle has also emerged as a staunch defender of the Tinubu administration. His swift and fierce rebuttal of former Minister Rotimi Amaechi’s disparaging remarks about President Tinubu is a testament to his unwavering loyalty. Matawalle’s defence of the president was not only a political statement, but also an affirmation of his alignment with the administration’s vision for a better Nigeria.

While Matawalle continues to focus on his responsibilities at the federal level, the government in his home state appears to be distracted by its obsession with undermining him. This begs the question: when will Dauda Lawal commence his tenure as governor in earnest?

 As a state grappling with existential threats, including insecurity, poverty, and underdevelopment, Zamfara deserves better. The people of the state elected Dauda with the hope that he would tackle these challenges head-on. Instead, his administration seems fixated on shadowboxing with Matawalle, a minister stationed in faraway Abuja. This misallocation of priorities not only distracts from governance, but also raises concerns about the governor’s commitment to addressing the state’s pressing issues.

Rather than antagonising Matawalle, one expected Dauda Lawal and his administration to recognise the strategic advantage of having a Zamfara indigene as a trusted member of the president’s cabinet.

Matawalle’s proximity to the corridors of federal power offers an opportunity for the state to attract federal projects, secure interventions and other developmental initiatives. By fostering a mutually beneficial relationship, Dauda could leverage Matawalle’s position to secure great dividends for Zamfara, thereby amplifying his own achievements as governor.

This approach is not unprecedented. Across Nigeria, governors have historically worked with ministers from their states, regardless of political differences, to advance their states’ interests. It is a pragmatic strategy that prioritises the people over personal grievances. Zamfara deserves no less. Sadly, Governor Dauda has been blindsided by vendetta.

The people of Zamfara are undoubtedly watching and wondering when their governor will redirect his energy toward governance and who will blame them. The state’s challenges are too severe to be side-lined by petty political rivalries. Insecurity continues to threaten livelihoods, while infrastructure deficits and unemployment remain significant hurdles to development. These are the issues that should occupy Dauda’s attention, not a futile campaign against a minister who enjoys the president’s confidence.

Governor Dauda must also consider the long-term implications of his actions. Political vendettas do not build legacies; impactful governance does. By focusing on his mandate and collaborating with all stakeholders, including Matawalle, he can leave behind a legacy of progress and unity.

Now that the bid to ensure Matawalle’s removal as minister has gone with the dust, it is expected that the aftermath should serve as a wake-up call that the time to put aside political differences and embrace responsible governance is now.

It is time to bring on board a model that prioritises the interests of the people of Zamfara over and above any political differences. The state stands to gain immensely from a harmonious working relationship between its governor and minister. With Matawalle as a trusted ally of the president, Zamfara is uniquely positioned to enjoy federal patronage and resources.

The question now is whether Governor Dauda will rise to the occasion or continue down a path of political distraction. The choice is his to make, but the people of Zamfara deserve a governor that is focused on their welfare, not one consumed by vendettas. The clock is ticking, and the people are waiting. In Zamfara, it should be governance o’clock!

•Musa writes from Kaduna.

By Mustapha Saleh

 In their usual manner, the Zamfara State chapter of the All Progressive Congress (APC) recently shocked the entire world when in a press release, it laughably and unconscionably called for the declaration of a state of emergency in Zamfara purportedly on the grounds of insecurity. To say this unpatriotic call is dumbfounding and time wasting would be an understatement.

Though the APC’s barking at the record-breaking performance of Governor Dauda Lawal shouldn’t have been glorified with a response, the fear is that this hastily written, unprovoked call to declare martial law in Zamfara State is clearly a reflection of the panic that stems from the Dauda administration’s steady gains in all areas of governance. It is a measure of how the envious opposition would go extra mile in adopting all sorts of shenanigans to distract the governor and his rescue team.

The APC’s call, therefore, may not be anything more than a desperate attempt to obscure the real reasons behind their panic, which basically comes down to Governor Dauda resolve to remove the lid on the looting of Zamfara’s treasury during the past administration of Dr. Bello Mohammed Matawalle. His recent television appearances where he made huge allegations of financial misappropriation may well be the trigger for the tactical manoeuvre to avoid the consequences for their long overdue comeuppance.

So, rather than deflecting attention with baseless accusations, the APC should have adopted a more patriotic approach by advocating for a probe into the alarming revelations of ₦70 billion allegedly siphoned under Matawalle’s watch and stop beating around the bush by looking for how to scuttle a probe that has gotten the people of Zamfara very excited and very hopeful that their stolen patrimony is in the process of being recovered.

Ironically, the individual who once accused the APC, his new abode, as a bandits’ party only to later join the same party claiming that his decision was to have federal government support to fight insecurity, but who, in the end, left the state worse off, is now using the APC to drag Dauda Lawal in the mud as form of distraction and also to apparently dodge being questioned by the anti-graft on the alleged misappropriation. After all, it is on record that the present administration has on several occasions accused the Matawalle administration of funds mismanagement.

By the way, there is hardly anyone in Nigeria who doesn’t know that contrary to the APC’s desperate claim, insecurity was actually allowed to fester under Matawalle’s watch. This is what makes the desperate attempt to portray Matawalle as a champion of security dead on arrival. It is common knowledge that Zamfara was under siege during Matawalle’s tenure. In fact, the level of banditry and kidnappings escalated under Matawalle’s administration, making insecurity the hallmark of his governance.

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If the Zamfara APC people were truly concerned about the state’s safety, the call for a state of emergency should have begun during Matawalle’s reign, when bandits operated with impunity, and communities were left at the mercy of criminals, some of which were even alleged to be harbouring in the government house in pretentious but subsequently botched peace talks and which ended as a conduit to further syphon the state’s treasury. For Dauda Lawal that inherited a state in disarray, his ongoing efforts to combat insecurity are steps in the right direction; it is aimed at restoring the peace that was lost during the Matawalle era.

It’s, therefore, important to urge the APC to come clean on the real reasons for their call for emergency declaration. It is disgusting that rather than addressing the serious accusations of financial mismanagement that continues to trail Matawalle’s tenure, the APC has, instead, chosen to mislead the public with conspiracy theories. If the party truly had the interest of Zamfara people at heart, it would support Governor Lawal’s quest for accountability by calling for a thorough investigation into the financial rot that the state suffered under its former leader.

It would certainly make more sense to the people of Zamfara than the APC’s ridiculous claim that Governor Dauda Lawal is sabotaging military operations in Zamfara – a claim that is nothing more than a figment of their imagination. The truth is, Governor Lawal has achieved more in the fight against insecurity and in driving development in a little over one year than any of his predecessors, including Matawalle. His collaboration with federal authorities has led to tangible progress in curbing banditry, and the positive developmental strides under his administration are evident to the people of Zamfara. These efforts stand in stark contrast to Matawalle’s tenure, where insecurity was politicised for personal gain and where the state treasury was allegedly looted with reckless abandon.

In any case, the most damning revelation of Matawalle’s pungent security failure comes not from Governor Lawal, but from the bandits themselves, who have exposed the former administration’s hierarchs of complicity in the rise of insecurity. The APC conveniently ignores the statements from bandit kingpin Bello Turji, who openly accused the former administration of harbouring criminals within the state government. This revelation, which has gone unchallenged by the APC, should be a wake-up call on the party to stop throwing shades at Governor Dauda. They should instead support efforts to hold Matawalle accountable for both his financial and security failures.

In a nutshell, the APC in Zamfara should bury itself in shame for attempting to mislead the public with its diversionary tactics. Instead of calling for a state of emergency, the party should have done the patriotic thing by demanding and insisting on an unbiased investigation into the looting spree that headlined Matawalle’s reign as well as his role in the state’s security collapse. Governor Dauda Lawal’s achievements in both curbing insecurity and driving development speak for themselves and no amount of political propaganda can erase the truth. In any case, we are very sure, no one would take the APC serious considering the rookie and watery opposition it has offered since Governor Lawal was sworn in.

Although, the 2027 election is bit far, but the desperation demonstrated by the APC as if elections will hold now, indicate that the party and its leadership have forgotten so quickly that the same people of Zamfara State who have rejected Matawalle in 2023 for his seeming and apparent failures, are same people to decide the fate of whoever will fly the party’s ticket. The voting pattern where the APC won some national assembly seats and the presidential election speaks volume to the degree of disaffection they’ve for the APC.

While it’s pertinent to remind the APC that it’s not yet time for another political and election cycle, it’s important to note that Governor Dauda Lawal is concentrating on delivering the dividend of democracy which APC has failed to deliver, and when it’s time to go back to the trenches in 2027, the same person that conveniently delivered the crunching blow to the party is waiting for whoever they deem it fit to join him in the ring. Politics is local and practical; it isn’t done on the pages of newspapers. Let the senseless press releases cease; they aren’t going to change anything.

•Saleh writes from Abuja.

• By Musa Kabiru

As they have always done, the unrepentant losers and unapologetic liars in Zamfara State are back at it again. In recent days, social media has gone into frenzy over a fraudulent and deep fake document suggesting that the Zamfara State Government was committing over ₦1.3 billion to appease notorious bandit kingpins, media organisations and consultants. This outrageous and baseless claim sparked outrage and confusion among concerned citizens and understandably so. It is certainly disheartening to imagine that anyone would attempt to funnel hundreds of millions to bandits in the name of negotiation considering how such negotiations have turned out in the past, and more given how the bandits always walked back on their words after collecting huge bounties from the states.

Ordinarily, one would not have bothered to glorify the unscrupulous elements with a response or even attention but the quantum of such allegations and their consequences in manipulating the minds of the citizens makes it imperative to separate the chaff from the grains and to do the needful.

Fortunately, the Zamfara State government has swiftly and unequivocally denied any such involvement or commitment to funding bandits, the media, media moguls or social media influencers. It is rather ridiculous to even imagine that anyone in his right senses would contemplate such an evil plot. It is therefore, heartening that the government of Zamfara has promptly denounced that document.

In fact, while reiterating its position on the matter, the Dauda Lawal Dare-led government made its position clear: there will be no negotiation with bandits involving any exchange of the state’s scarce resources. Since inauguration, Governor Dauda Lawal Dare has emphasised his firm stance on eradicating banditry through force, not appeasement, and one wonders where such falsehoods which seek to undermine the progress being made in the fight against insecurity is emanating from. Could this be the opposition parties again diving deep into the abyss to fetch vile schemes?

But, how could they have hoped to sell the lie that a Zamfara State government that has consistently maintained a zero-tolerance policy toward negotiations with bandits, especially when it involves draining the public coffers, is now willing to spend over N1 billion on same? The very idea that the state would resort to paying off criminals is not only contrary to the clear and deliberate policies of the current administration, but also its avowed stance on transparent state expenditure. This is evident in how the government has made significant strides in partnering with security agencies to tame the banditry scourge, including its founding of the Zamfara State Community Guards and the establishment of the Zamfara State Security Trust Fund—proactive efforts to bolster local security in collaboration with federal agencies.

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Frankly, if anything, Governor Lawal’s body language continues to show that the focus remains on protecting citizens and ridding the state of the violent groups that have terrorised rural communities, and no money has been or will be exchanged for that purpose. Here then, is the reason why it becomes hard to figure out where or how such an uncharitable concoction came about.

The plot became even more ridiculous when the fraudulent document attempted to rope in media moguls and outlets such as Sahara Reporters, led by Omoyele Sowore, and Shuaibu Mungadi, a respected name in the charge towards improved government communication. Sahara Reporters, which was named as part of this concocted scheme, has been an outspoken critic of government misdeeds and an advocate for justice.

Sowore may be many things, but certainly not a terrorism apologist, making it hard to stomach claims of his involvement in such a scheme. It is no surprise then that his response to the allegations is that of vehement condemnations of the claims, labelling them a smear campaign. In fact, he made it clear that neither he nor his media organisation would ever accept funds in exchange for silence or complicity with criminal elements. Sowore believes, and perhaps correctly so, that roping him into this scheme is merely a tactic to discredit him and other respected media houses as they continue to expose the truth.

Similarly, Shuaibu Mungadi—another respected media mogul mentioned in the bogus scheme—runs a platform known for its steadfast commitment towards encouraging open government communication through the capacity building of government functionaries in northern Nigeria. This is why associating his name with such a vile conspiracy is not only absurd but also a gross attempt to distract from the real issues facing the state. Mungadi’s media outfit has been at the forefront of advocating for improved crisis communication, making the idea of his involvement in this alleged scandal laughable to anyone familiar with his work.

However one looks at it, it is clear that the document is nothing more than a concoction from the pit of hell, manufactured to deceive the public and stir up unnecessary outrage. It is a calculated attempt to shift focus away from the real progress being made by the Zamfara State government in its fight against banditry, and to smear reputable media organisations and individuals who have built their names on integrity.

The last one year of the current government in Zamfara State has been one of prioritising the safety and security of the people and with every new policy thrust, one sees Governor Dauda’s demonstrable committment to collaborating with all security agencies to eliminate the criminal elements destabilising the region. The battle against banditry requires the full backing of citizens, media, and government which is why there is no place for such misleading and unpatriotic narratives designed to stoke fear and mistrust.

As the government’s message has remained clear that Zamfara will not bow to banditry, and no amount of false propaganda will undermine its efforts to rid the state of criminals, it is critical that the source of that evil document be unearthed and the dangerous elements behind it brought to book. Nigeria’s secret police must as a matter of urgency fish out those behind this inciting document.

It’s apparent those who have suffered a humiliating defeat in the last election together with the selfish individuals who have held the state to ransom are hell-bent on frustrating the progress made within the short stay of Dauda Lawal as governor of the state. It’s also on record that the major players in the opposition have accused themselves of complicity and culpability in the banditry that have ravaged the state and denied it progress on all indices of development and peaceful coexistence. To the extent that in class, those who failed will always accuse and envy the successful ones, this latest antic too, isn’t surprising!

•Kabiru writes from Abuja.

• By Isa Murtala

Politics is a vast wilderness of absurdities, brazen shamelessness and insidious machinations; it is a terrain exploited by politicians to undo the good works of their opponents who deploy the desired capacity, credibility and commitment to deliver the desired leadership and good governance to the electorate.

This portrait of politics is most-glaringly reflected in the politics and governance of Zamfara State. At a time the Save-Our-Soul administration is on the verge of rescuing the state from an administration that sought to devour all aspects of the once-enviable and exemplary peace, security and development of the Farming-Is-Our-Pride state, the forces of retrogression is increasingly, unrelenting.

In the 2023 general elections, the political forces, built by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and ably commanded by Dauda Lawal, had commenced the arduous project of rescuing Zamfara from those predator-like political forces holding the state by the jugular.  Now, Zamfarans have since May 29, 2023, been breathing the nourishing air of genuine development and growth delivered by the PDP administration of Governor Dauda Lawan.

But then, as is the case with the absurdities and contaminated politics that currently seem more marketable and buyable in Nigeria than the credible ones, the erstwhile predatory gladiators, represented by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its leaders now seem hell bent on deploying every available machination to render every effort by the Dauda Lawal-led PDP government at delivering good governance, unsuccessful.

Here was an administration already herding the entire state to the bandits den, throwing fits on seeing the Save-Our-Soul administration of PDP’s Dauda Lawal succeed where it failed spectacularly. Apparently, the governor’s bold attempts to rescue the state from the captivity of all types while repositioning the state on the path of genuine reconstruction and prosperity, has suddenly become a pain too much to bear.

Instead of reclining to its fate, settling down in the loser status it was relegated to in the 2023 elections, mending its ways and joining hands with the Lawal-led PDP administration to deliver the desired good governance, the APC in Zamfara State is embroiled in schemes to truncate the policies and programmes aimed at rescuing the state from the pangs of banditry and its attendant consequences on the economic and social life of the state.

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The current state of Zamfara APC re-echoes the remarks of Bello Matawalle, the ousted governor who, before eventually decamping to it, once described it as a party of bandits. While addressing his then Peoples Democratic Party supporters, Matawalle was then quoted as saying that only those interested in becoming informants for bandits or engaging in actual banditry would leave the PDP for the APC. Ironically, no one from the APC has deigned to challenge the assertion, not even Matawalle himself even long after he defected to the party.

Dirty water would always find the gutters, it is so said. No wonder, therefore, that Matawalle, before the end of his governorship tenure, realised that he was better suited for the APC.

In spite of the mess that the Matawalle-led APC administration bequeathed to the Lawal-led PDP administration, especially the intractable insecurity, alleged misappropriation and mismanagement of public funds and poor infrastructure, that the APC still has the guts to show its face in the politics and the affairs of Zamfara can only be explained by the bizarre character of Nigeria’s politics. Coming at a time the governor is repositioning the state for rapid prosperity – a feat the APC administration never came near to achieving – the good people of Zamfara cannot but wonder about what exactly the APC in the state wants.

At this time, every patriotic son and daughter of Zamfara State should be more concerned with how best to contribute and support the Governor Dauda Lawal administration which has, since inception, demonstrated commitment to steer the state out of the woods.

To trace the ugly history of the politics of the state is to understand how the APC and its top members have been at the forefront of misdirecting and positioning Zamfara on the path of underdevelopment and insecurity. The leaders have in various fora accused and counter-accused themselves of being complicit. In fact, at different times, both former governors, Matawalle and Abdul’aziz Yari have accused each other of being the architects of the insecurity the state is still drowning in. And because the electorate couldn’t have glossed over the accusations and counter-accusations – particularly the situation of Zamfara during the governorship tenures of Yari and Matawalle – these would subsequently lay the foundation for the ouster of the APC by the PDP in the 2023 general elections. 

The raging infighting within the Zamfara APC, especially between Yari and Matawalle, is certainly not surprising. It mainly presents the picture of a party unable to grapple with the realities of its defeat. Spreading falsehoods and engaging in character assassination against the victorious PDP to remain relevant in the politics of the state is in their character.

These tactics are used to distract the public from the rapid and fascinating progress accomplished by the PDP government. In just a year, the Lawal-led PDP government has accomplished what the former APC government failed to do in 16 years. And as typical of politicians drowning in their absurdities and machinations, these political actors of APC extraction naively believe that by launching constant attacks on the PDP, they can divert attention from some scathing the allegations plaguing them with regard to the enduring insecurity and underdevelopment of the state.

Recently, the country was shaken by a series of video clips released by Bello Turji, a notorious bandit leader, in which he claimed to have close ties with Matawalle. In a country where governance is taken seriously, such allegations would have led to serious investigation.

Nonetheless, one still expects the Minister of State for Defence to reflect on these serious allegations, especially given his position as someone who once had the opportunity to govern Zamfara State.

It is certainly not too much to ask Zamfara APC to humbly to step back and reflect on the monumental damage they did to the state. Or for them to reflect, with deep sense of guilt, on their relationship with the past and the army of criminals and miscreants they created who have continued to torment the state to this day. Instead of making outlandish claims about PDP, APC Zamfara should apologise to the people of Zamfara for its 16 years gross misdemeanours. Rather than turn around and cry blue murder, those who actively worked to create an army of miscreants and all other forms of criminals persistently troubling Zamfara should bury their heads in shame.

•Murtala PhD, writes from Abuja.

• By Isa Murtala

Politics is a vast wilderness of absurdities, brazen shamelessness and insidious machinations; it is a terrain exploited by politicians to undo the good works of their opponents who deploy the desired capacity, credibility and commitment to deliver the desired leadership and good governance to the electorate.

This portrait of politics is most-glaringly reflected in the politics and governance of Zamfara State. At a time the Save-Our-Soul administration is on the verge of rescuing the state from an administration that sought to devour all aspects of the once-enviable and exemplary peace, security and development of the Farming-Is-Our-Pride state, the forces of retrogression is increasingly, unrelenting.

In the 2023 general elections, the political forces, built by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and ably commanded by Dauda Lawal, had commenced the arduous project of rescuing Zamfara from those predator-like political forces holding the state by the jugular.  Now, Zamfarans have since May 29, 2023, been breathing the nourishing air of genuine development and growth delivered by the PDP administration of Governor Dauda Lawan.

But then, as is the case with the absurdities and contaminated politics that currently seem more marketable and buyable in Nigeria than the credible ones, the erstwhile predatory gladiators, represented by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its leaders now seem hell bent on deploying every available machination to render every effort by the Dauda Lawal-led PDP government at delivering good governance, unsuccessful.

Here was an administration already herding the entire state to the bandits den, throwing fits on seeing the Save-Our-Soul administration of PDP’s Dauda Lawal succeed where it failed spectacularly. Apparently, the governor’s bold attempts to rescue the state from the captivity of all types while repositioning the state on the path of genuine reconstruction and prosperity, has suddenly become a pain too much to bear.

Instead of reclining to its fate, settling down in the loser status it was relegated to in the 2023 elections, mending its ways and joining hands with the Lawal-led PDP administration to deliver the desired good governance, the APC in Zamfara State is embroiled in schemes to truncate the policies and programmes aimed at rescuing the state from the pangs of banditry and its attendant consequences on the economic and social life of the state.

The current state of Zamfara APC re-echoes the remarks of Bello Matawalle, the ousted governor who, before eventually decamping to it, once described it as a party of bandits. While addressing his then Peoples Democratic Party supporters, Matawalle was then quoted as saying that only those interested in becoming informants for bandits or engaging in actual banditry would leave the PDP for the APC. Ironically, no one from the APC has deigned to challenge the assertion, not even Matawalle himself even long after he defected to the party.

Dirty water would always find the gutters, it is so said. No wonder, therefore, that Matawalle, before the end of his governorship tenure, realised that he was better suited for the APC.

In spite of the mess that the Matawalle-led APC administration bequeathed to the Lawal-led PDP administration, especially the intractable insecurity, alleged misappropriation and mismanagement of public funds and poor infrastructure, that the APC still has the guts to show its face in the politics and the affairs of Zamfara can only be explained by the bizarre character of Nigeria’s politics. Coming at a time the governor is repositioning the state for rapid prosperity – a feat the APC administration never came near to achieving – the good people of Zamfara cannot but wonder about what exactly the APC in the state wants.

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At this time, every patriotic son and daughter of Zamfara State should be more concerned with how best to contribute and support the Governor Dauda Lawal administration which has, since inception, demonstrated commitment to steer the state out of the woods.

To trace the ugly history of the politics of the state is to understand how the APC and its top members have been at the forefront of misdirecting and positioning Zamfara on the path of underdevelopment and insecurity. The leaders have in various fora accused and counter-accused themselves of being complicit. In fact, at different times, both former governors, Matawalle and Abdul’aziz Yari have accused each other of being the architects of the insecurity the state is still drowning in. And because the electorate couldn’t have glossed over the accusations and counter-accusations – particularly the situation of Zamfara during the governorship tenures of Yari and Matawalle – these would subsequently lay the foundation for the ouster of the APC by the PDP in the 2023 general elections. 

The raging infighting within the Zamfara APC, especially between Yari and Matawalle, is certainly not surprising. It mainly presents the picture of a party unable to grapple with the realities of its defeat. Spreading falsehoods and engaging in character assassination against the victorious PDP to remain relevant in the politics of the state is in their character.

These tactics are used to distract the public from the rapid and fascinating progress accomplished by the PDP government. In just a year, the Lawal-led PDP government has accomplished what the former APC government failed to do in 16 years. And as typical of politicians drowning in their absurdities and machinations, these political actors of APC extraction naively believe that by launching constant attacks on the PDP, they can divert attention from some scathing the allegations plaguing them with regard to the enduring insecurity and underdevelopment of the state.

Recently, the country was shaken by a series of video clips released by Bello Turji, a notorious bandit leader, in which he claimed to have close ties with Matawalle. In a country where governance is taken seriously, such allegations would have led to serious investigation.

Nonetheless, one still expects the Minister of State for Defence to reflect on these serious allegations, especially given his position as someone who once had the opportunity to govern Zamfara State.

It is certainly not too much to ask Zamfara APC to humbly to step back and reflect on the monumental damage they did to the state. Or for them to reflect, with deep sense of guilt, on their relationship with the past and the army of criminals and miscreants they created who have continued to torment the state to this day. Instead of making outlandish claims about PDP, APC Zamfara should apologise to the people of Zamfara for its 16 years gross misdemeanours. Rather than turn around and cry blue murder, those who actively worked to create an army of miscreants and all other forms of criminals persistently troubling Zamfara should bury their heads in shame.

• Murtala PhD, writes from Abuja.