The recent statement said to have been issued by the Zamfara State noGovernor, Alhaji Bello Mutawalle, in the wake of an historic, massive rally by the Zamfara State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, held in solidarity with the Party’s candidate for a re run election into the State Assembly in the Bakura constituency is, to say the least, unfortunate.
In the said statement, the Governor displayed political neivity by alleging that the former Zamfara State Governor Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari and the Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi had gone to Bakura to destabilize Zamfara State.
Indeed, anyone who witnessed the Bakura rally, and saw the massive turnout of party supporters, as well as the intimidating crowd that openly displayed unequalled love for the APC and its candidate, will hardly be surprised at the Governor’s reaction.
Governor Bello Mutawalle must have been blinded by envy, otherwise he should have known that the Honorable Minister of Police Affairs did not attend the Zamfara APC rally and that while the event was holding, the Minister was at the NTA International studio in Abuja running an interview. It is therefore obvious that the Honorable Minister could not be in Abuja and Bakura simultaneously.
In case Governor Mutawalle does not know, Minister Maigari Dingyadi is a great respecter of rules, processes and procedures, having been a technocrat who rose through the ranks to reach the peak of his career, before capping it with the coveted position of Secretary to the Sokoto State Government; a position he held for good eight years. He is not known for commiting excesses and unnecessary interference in the duties of such a professional body as the Nigeria Police. Minister Maigari is on record to have always refrained from mounting pressure or influence on the police, but rather, he has always allowed them to discharge their duty according to the dictates of their profession.
From all indications Governor Bello Mutawalle is seriously shaken by the combined mobilization efforts of Former Governors Abdulaziz Yari and Mahmuda Shinkafi, as well as former Ministers Ikira Bilbis and Tijjani Yahaya Kaura; not to mention Senator Lawal Shuaibu, APC Deputy National Chairman North, among others. It is the combined efforts of these Gentlemen that is giving the Zamfara State Governor sleepless nights. He was so desperate that he went against the advice of security authorities and unilaterally fixed his rally on a day that had been approved for the APC. In fact, he was said to have personally supervised the destruction of APC posters at Lambar Bakura.
We in the Sokoto State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress APC, believe that Governor Bello Mutawalle is acting the script of certain faceless individuals who are continuously pained by the ever rising profile of the APC in the country, as against the gale of defections threatening the PDP nationwide. Accordingly they are desperately looking for ways of dampening that spirit. Our advise to the Zamfara State Governor is to fight his own battles, direct his energy to the provision of democracy dividends which is seriously lacking under his administration and avoid creating unnecessary political tension that will not do anyone any good.
ISA SADIQ ACIDA
(Turakin Acida)
STATE CHAIRMAN
