From Mustapha Saye, Kaduna
A group, the All Progressive Congress (APC) Tinubu Youth Network (TYN), has advised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to compel the Minister of State for Defence to step aside to allow an investigation given the barrage of criticisms trailing his alleged involvement with bandits.
Speaking at a press conference in Kaduna on Thursday, the Secretary-General of the group, Yusuf Muhammad, noted that they have decided “to appeal to the president and esteemed leader of our party, the APC, Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to intervene in the matter at hand. If not addressed, it will affect our party.”
According to the group, a series of interviews granted on national television have gone viral, In these interviews, Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal raised grave concerns about the issues he inherited upon assuming office.
“To this end,” APC TYN “is compelled to make a public appeal after several unsuccessful attempts to contact the leaders of our ruling party, the APC, regarding the allegations made by the current Governor of Zamfara State, Dauda Lawal, against his predecessor and now Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle.”
“These are serious matters that strike at the heart of governance, security, and the welfare of the people of Zamfara State and should not be handled lightly.
“We consider it our responsibility as youth to seek a thorough investigation into these serious claims to uphold the integrity of our party and our esteemed leader, the president. Failing to address these issues could hurt our party in the future.”
“We want to emphasise that the issues at stake here are not just political problems. They encompass matters of life and death, economic survival, and the fundamental human rights of the citizens of Zamfara State, the Northwest, and Nigeria as a whole.”
“This is why we are urging our esteemed leader, the President, to launch an investigation into the numerous allegations levelled against the State Minister for Defence, Bello Matawalle.”
“We must be concerned as loyal party members about these issues. Serious challenges and campaigns are underway across the country, targeting the hard-earned reputation of our leader, the president. Part of this is caused by the previous actions of people such as Bello Matawalle.”
According to him, “The investigation we want our leader, the president, to conduct is not to castigate the State Minister for Defence, Bello Matawalle, but to safeguard the integrity of the All Progressives Congress and the president’s good image.”
“Bello Matawalle must step aside and an investigative panel be formed to look into the allegations. The State Minister for Defence should clarify his connections with dangerous individuals like Bello Tagoji, Musa Kamarawa, and Ardon Zuru,” he said.
The claim that Matawalle “Remains loyal to President Bola Tinubu and has the full trust of the administration” is quite concerning. Since when has loyalty to a sitting president become a measure by which an individual accused of associating with dangerous bandits should be unquestionably protected?
“Bello Matawalle is not the only minister in our government. Why is he the only one with such a questionable past and so heavily surrounded by allegations?”
“In the interest of upholding transparency and fairness, we strongly urge Bello Matawalle to step down from his position and subject himself to a thorough investigation. This is imperative to ensure accountability and maintain the integrity of his person as a parent and a member of the biggest and greatest political party in Africa, the APC.”
