Tongues are wagging in Zamfara State as Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle’s deputy, Barrister Mahdi Aliyu Gusau has challenged him to dare to resign.
Matawalle had defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), but his deputy, Gusau, refused to join him and vowed to remain in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Since then, the two politicians have been at daggers drawn.
Governor Matawalle was quoted as saying at a recent meeting that “I can relinquish my position as the state governor if I know “The son of Ali Gusau won’t take over the government. After all, I’m not a power monger and all I’m after is the wellbeing of the citizens of this state.”
The governor’s statement triggered a reaction from the deputy governor, who described his utterances as mere grandstanding and an attempt to further play on the collective intelligence of Zamfara people.
The PDP State Publicity Secretary, Abba Bello, quoted Gusau as replying to the governor during a PDP executive committee meeting in the state.
He said the deputy governor was ready to tender his resignation alongside the governor as his own sacrifice towards bringing an end to the prevailing state of crisis.
He further advised Governor Matawalle to concentrate on planning for his life after retirement which according to him is fast approaching.
In recent times, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the leading opposition PDP in the state have been trading words with accusations and counter-accusations being thrown at each other.
The PDP in Zamfara State had fired back at the APC over accusations of sharing interests with bandits and that one of the party’s leaders owned 70 % stakes in Zamfara gold mining activities.
The state deputy chairman of the PDP, Prof Kabir Umar Jabaka, said Governor Matawalle owned about 10 mining companies in the state.
The APC in Zamfara State through its Publicity Secretary, Yusuf Idris Gusau, had accused the father of the state deputy governor, Gusau, of sharing interests with armed bandits terrorising the state.
The APC said the 11 Chinese nationals arrested by the police at one of the state’s mining sites were released on bail on request by the state’s deputy governor.
“The security agencies should investigate why we never hear any fracas between these miners and the bandits even though both operate in the bushes of the state, the result and outcome will shock you to your bones.”
Earlier, the PDP through its deputy chairman, Prof Kabir Umar Jabaka, accused Governor Matawalle of insensitivity after he had travelled to Niger Republic. The party said Governor Matawalle was in Niger Republic as a guest at the country’s Traditional Wrestling Festival known as Kokowa, where he donated a huge sum of money to his praise singers despite the hardship faced by the IDP’s in the state.
But the governor said he was in Niger Republic to consolidate on his earlier visit to discuss security matters with the officials of the country.
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