Ministerial list: Allegations against Matawalle, Bagudu baseless – Group

A group, Democracy Watch Initiative (DWI), has defended the nomination of Bello Matawalle and Atiku Bagudu, as ministers.

The group made their position known in a statement by Tukur Habu, its Director of Public Relations, in response to a report titled, “Journalist Accuses Bagudu, Matawalle of corruption, petitions Senate over ministerial nomination”

Osa Director, a legal practitioner, in the report had urged the Nigerian Senate not to confirm Matawalle and Atiku Bagudu, immediate past Governors of Zamfara and Kebbi States respectively as ministerial nominees, owing to what he called the corruption allegation against them and poor performance while in office.

Weighing in, the DWI urged the Senate to disregard the petition and proceed with the nominees’ screening.

“We also urge Bello Matawalle, the main target of Osa’s vented jealousy, not to be drawn into altercations with people that do not know, but pretend they know.
Matawalle should remain focused and calm as usual, now that he is being called to a national assignment that requires greater concentration and decorum.

“We also reassure President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of our confidence in the right choices he made of men who will competently and confidently assist him in the task of seeing the nation through and out of its current limitations around security and the economy,” the statement read in part.