The immediate past governor of Zamfara, Bello Matawalle, has accused his successor, Dauda Lawal, of not involving major stakeholders, including him, in finding lasting solutions to the security situation bedevilling the state.

According to a statement by his spokesman, Yusuf Idris, Mr Matawalle spoke when he received members of the correspondents’ chapel of the Zamfara council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) at his Abuja residence on Saturday.

“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,” said Mr Matawalle, a minister-designate from Zamfara.

Mr Matawalle recounted that he consulted with his predecessors and other stakeholders to combat insecurity in the state.

He said the state government has many ways to confront the security crisis in the area, cautioning that it may continue to escalate if serious action is not taken.

“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 aAdviser, making one wonder if, as the chief executive of the state, he has the people who voted him into office at heart,” Mr Matawalle stated.

Mr Matawalle then appreciated the chapel members for the show of solidarity and for working professionally to promote Zamfara.

Reacting, Mustapha Jafaru, spokesman to Governor Dauda Lawal, described Mr Matawalle’s concern as a “fallacy”, saying it will carry no weight in the minds of the people of the state.

“Matawalle has nothing to contribute to the security challenges facing Zamfara at the moment 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 the way forward on these challenges with relevant security experts.

“So, the issue is not about the 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,” Mr Jafaru said. 

(NAN)