2023 Polls: Group Berates Zamfara Governor, Matawalle Over False Accusations Against Military
- The Centre for Africa Liberation and Socio-Economic Rights has faulted Governor Bello Matawalle
- Recall that the governor implied that the deployment of troops frustrated his plan to deploy the bandits on his payroll for voter intimidation
- The group consequently accused the governor of displaying undemocratic tendencies following his defeat at the last election
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The Centre for Africa Liberation and Socio-Economic Rights (CALSER) has accused Governor Bello Matawalle of displaying undemocratic tendencies following his defeat at the last election.
The centre, at a press conference attended by Legit.ng, on Sunday in Abuja, said the utterly bitter Matawalle has blamed a myriad of factors for his loss at the polls, ranging from the naira redesign to most recently, the military.
Source: Twitter
In his address, Okwa Daniels, the director of communication and Strategy said the governor is now inciting the public in a manner that could enable anarchists to disrupt the peace of the land.
Daniels rubbished the claim that more soldiers were sent to the state for the elections than to combat banditry.
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According to him, Matawalle may have implied that the deployment of troops frustrated his plan to deploy the bandits on his payroll for voter intimidation.
He said:
"We, therefore, found it bizarre that Matawalle is now claiming that soldiers were deployed to punish him for challenging the naira redesign policy," Daniels added.
"After all, he is not the only one who challenged the policy. The governors of Kaduna, Kogi, Ondo, Ekiti, Katsina, Ogun, Cross River, Sokoto, and Lagos states are part of the suit that challenged the naira redesign policy of the Federal Government and elections held in these states, even though only for state assemblies in some these states.
"Some of the governors of these states lost in the elections or their proteges lost, while some of the governors that did not challenge the Federal Government on the policy also took beatings at the polls. Matawalle should thus ask himself why he is the only one blaming the Federal Government for his defeat by a better-articulated opponent.
"We see the Governor's outburst as a desperate move to warm himself into the heart of the president-elect, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, which is most unfortunate, because the incoming government at the centre does not deserve to be burdened by a political plague like Matawalle. It is our fervent hope that the president-elect would see beyond the charade and treat Matawalle as a person of interest when reviewing the insecurity and banditry that has troubled the northwest.
"He should be able to clarify the extent to which he empowered the criminal and explain the roles they played in propping him up in office, what portion of the state’s security votes was passed on to the criminals, their proxies in his cabinet and other information that will help extricate Nigeria from the crisis into which his indiscretion has put Nigeria in."
The Centre for Africa Liberation and Socio-Economic Rights (CALSER), however, urged that:
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"Nigerians to note the fresh dangers constituted to the country by Matawalle and his unguarded tantrums, through which he is attempting to undermine the Nigerian military as an institution that interferes in elections when this is not true."
Adding that:
"It is on record that the military, particularly the army, played stabilizing roles across the country during the 2023 General Elections to the extent that it was repeatedly commended by political players across party lines all over the country.
"Also, Matawelle is knowingly fueling the misplaced discontent of the children of anger who had concluded that mere rants on social media would win them elections and who are now looking for excuses and validation to ground the country with protests in their bid to frustrate the inauguration of the next government and consequently precipitate an interim government – something that will truncate democracy."
Lawal Dare: 5 things you should know about the man who unseated Gov Matawalle in Zamfara guber polls
Meanwhile, Lawal Dare of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) changed the odds when he emerged as the 2023 Zamfara state gubernatorial election winner.
His victory was a major upset for the incumbent, Governor Bello Matawalle of the All Progressive Congress (APC) who managed to poll 311, 976 votes losing to the opposition candidate who polled 377,726 to emerge the winner.
Lawal bagged his first degree in political science from the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University in 1987 and later bagged his master's in political science/international relations from the same university in 1992.
Source: Legit.ng
