Politics
President Buhari’s Narrow Escape From The Scam Of Zamfara State Visit
By Ibrahim Madugu
President Muhammadu Buhari was to visit Zamfara State last Thursday but the trip was cancelled on the grounds of bad weather. The purpose of the trip from official declarations was to condole the people of Zamfara State on the deaths caused by the bandits; but the grand purpose according to observers was for the state government to use the good reputation of the President through the visit to mend the ugly images of bad governance in the state including the strong allegations of aiding banditry. On learning about cancelling the trip, the social media space and public fora around Gusau and major cities in Zamfara State was filled with jubilation and joy as many did not understand the purpose of the visit beyond its broad day light political scam. One of the leading commentators and Chairman of a prominent civil society group asked a representative question in a social media post “what was the president coming to do in Zamfara…was he planning to meet the representative of the IDPs, for example?”. Another academic and prominent commentator wrote “thank you PMB for postponing the visit. This will save the image of the government and the good people of the state… there is virtually nothing to be commissioned by the President”.
On the other hand, cancelling the trip was a big disappointment for Governor Matawalle and his supporting minions because of the near zero goodwill they enjoy from the wider public. One of the members of Zamfara State Assembly loyal to the Governor wrote an emotional comment in response to the cancelled trip in Hausa that reads “May God disappoint all those who want to see us disappointed”, On his part, the Governor organized an elaborate press conference to explain the reason for cancelling the trip submitting that it was the will of God. Mr. Matawalle was quoted by the Punch Newspaper lamenting “As man proposes, God disposes. I am sadly announcing that President Muhammadu Buhari has postponed his condolence visit to Zamfara due to the sharp drop in weather conditions”. One insightful person asked, if this is truly a condolence visit, why all the effort to raise hundreds of billboards in the state capital? Is it to mock the dead persons? Ideally, a condolence visit should be low key; but that of Zamfara was done with huge amount of money spent out of the meagre resources of the state to raise bill boards and use same money explain why the trip did not happen to the media.
After President Buhari’s return to Abuja, a recorded broadcast was made by the President in both English and Hausa to apologise to the people of Zamfara State for his inability to conduct the visit. The one minute thirty seconds scripted speech revealed how much pressure was mounted on the presidency to save the face of Zamfara State Government. In a sane world, a brief impromptu session with the media from Sokoto or at arrival in Abuja by the President could have been more natural response; others feel a statement from the President’s media aids as it happens in even more important situations than cancelling a trip could have been apt. One analyst said that the speech was a useful clue to the suspicion that the Governor of Zamfara was scammed by the most talked about merchants of the presidency who collect millions of money behind the President’s stern eyes and make promises and assurances. He believed that same people must have been given more money or have received enough to drag the President into making the exaggerated address that does not tally with his known ways in recent past.
President Buhari needs to give credence assumptions like the one earlier and watch his close aides especially as 2023 draws nearer. In fact, President Buhari should actually do more vigilance as someone like the Governor of Zamfara State, Muhammad Bello Matawalle, who has serious allegations of corruption and wrong doing are desperately frequenting the Presidency to return to power with the support of another scammer in the person of former Governor Ahmad Sani Yariman Bakura. Two prominent allegations that President Buhari should know about Matawalle to be on his guard are the forgery of certificates of landed properties in Abuja and being a top beneficiary of the misappropriation of armed funds of the past government. As a Governor, Matawalle has been known to be collaborating with the bandits and supporting their action through the agency of the failed amnesty he created hoping to use them as the last option to win election. One of the strong indicators to this are the recent arrest of the supplier of arms and food to the bandits by name Musa Kamarawa who was confirmed to be a political appointee of the Governor Matawalle. Presently, a prominent Islamic Scholar in Sokoto State by name Malam Murtala Assada attributed the escalation of banditry in northwest to the complicity of Governor Matawalle and challenged the Governor to counter the claim. The scholar argued that Governor Matawalle joined the APC to cover his crime of aiding bandits because he knew that joining the ruling party guarantees ‘forgiving all sins’.
On behalf of the people of Zamfara, we have every reason to celebrate the cancellation of President Buhari’s trip to the state. The good people of Zamfara do not deserve such scorning from President Buhari whose loyal supporters they have remained in 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019 against antics like Governor Matawalle who left no stone unturned in opposition to the president during his famous political struggles. If it is the work of the weather, it must be God’s way of answering the prayers of the good people of Zamfara and a way of protecting the good image of President Muhammadu Buhari from the scam of Governor Matawalle and his co-travellers.
Ibrahim Madugu Writes from Gusau Zamfara State.
The majority leader of the Lagos House of Assembly, Noheem Adams, on Friday raised alarm over alleged plans by some people to manipulate the result of the primary election that produced him as a candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Adams reportedly won the primary election of the party to produce a candidate for the House of Assembly in Eti-Osa Constituency 1 on Wednesday after polling 7,638 against his opponent’s 1225 votes.
Speaking to thousands of APC supporters during a Victory March, Adams said accused a top monarch (name withheld) in Eti-Osa of being behind the plan to doctor the result in favour of Saheed Adesegun Bankole, who was defeated in the election.
“I want you all very much for the love and passion you have for me and APC. Today is what we call victory walk. We started from VGC with over 4000 APC members. Even inside the rain you stood your ground and you are here to protect your mandate.
“Thank you very much for voting for me. I won the election throughout our wards and the INEC officials, DSS and police personnel were there and even the agents of our opponent were there as well.
“Let me put it on record that his agents and the police signed that the election was free and fair and they took all the results to the local government collation centre.
“When they got there, they presented all the results to the DSS, INEC officials and also to the returning officer and he collected everything and announced that Adams was the winner of the election.
“We believe in this party. The only crime I have committed was during the impeachment of the Speaker; that I did not follow them and did not stand against the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly,” he alleged.
He said being a politician, he understood “loyalty and how to always be loyal. That is the only crime I committed and today, I’m calling on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to caution the Oba.
“The Oba is the reason why we lost the presidential election in 2023 in the constituency and he is the reason why we lost the House of Representatives seat. He lost in his own kingdom and the results are there at the INEC for all to see.
“I’m calling on the Inspector General of Police that if anything happens to me, he should hold the Oba responsible. And in 2027, if we lose the presidential election in the local government, the President should hold him responsible. We have assured the President that we are going to vote for him and he will win.”
He urged his loyalists and supporters to remain calm as he trusts the party enough to resolve the issue.
President of the Lekki Residents and Stakeholders Association, Sulyman Bello, also thanked the supporters for having faith in Adams.
“On behalf of all of all the estates from 1004 and across the entire Lekki peninsula, we thank all the APC members for standing by our friend, brother, father Hon. Noheem Adams.
“If all the estates in Eti -Osa Osa, call on him at the same time, he will respond. We also thank God that he got over 7,000 votes and his opponent a little above 1,000 votes. The winning margin is above 90%.
“We thank all those of you that voted and also thank President Ahmed Tinubu for his leadership. We extend our gratitude to the APC leaders in Lagos state. If it is not Noheem, it is not Noheem,” he said.
Politics
Governor Dauda Lawal Emerges APC Consensus Governorship Candidate for Zamfara 2027 Election
Governor Dauda Lawal Ph.d has officially emerged as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2027 election in Zamfara State, following a consensus arrangement adopted by the party for its primaries.The governor secured the ticket after party members and supporters gathered across various wards to endorse him as the APC’s flagbearer for the forthcoming election. The consensus model, which allowed party stakeholders to unite behind a single candidate, was embraced as a strategy to avoid a contentious primary and strengthen internal cohesion ahead of the 2027 polls.Speaking with journalists shortly after the exercise, Governor Lawal expressed profound gratitude to party members for the confidence reposed in him. He reaffirmed his commitment to the people of Zamfara, pledging to consolidate ongoing developmental projects aimed at improving the lives of residents across the state.“I am deeply honored by the trust and support of our party faithful,” Lawal said. “We will not relent in our efforts to deliver meaningful development, enhance security, and create opportunities for all citizens of Zamfara State.”His emergence underscores the party’s push to build continuity and strong leadership in the northwest region.Political analysts note that the adoption of consensus candidate signals the APC’s preference for unity and reduced internal friction as the party prepares for the next electoral cycle.
Lagos lawmaker, Adewale Temitope Adedeji, has won the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election for the party’s candidacy in Ifako-Ijaiye Constituency 1 ahead of the 2027 general election.Adewale, a current member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, scored 19,111 to defeat his closest rival, Obawole Quadri lawal, who polled 295 votes.Three other aspirants in the election that was monitored by the state electoral officers, the Independent National Electoral Commission and security agencies, Afolabi Ajiboye, Akinyemi Temitope, and Adewale Lateef, scored 165, 73 and 33 votes respectively.The primary election was conducted peacefully on Wednesday across seven political wards in the constituency.A youth leader and participant in the exercise, Demola Olajide, said the peaceful exercise was the result of the maturity of the aspirants and the members’ respect for party supremacy.In a ‘thank you’ message to his constituents on Thursday, Adewale described his victory at the primary election as democracy in action.He noted that the beauty of the exercise was that he had despite having other aspirants, the election was peaceful.”What makes this moment special wasn’t just the win. It was the voices that were heard, the choices people made freely, and the peaceful process that let a community decide its own path forward.”That’s the heart of democracy: every vote counts, every opinion matters, and power flows from the people up.”May this new chapter bring the progress and unity we have promised to fight for. The real work starts now and our leaders are watching with hope.”Let’s be further determined to increase our support for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat and other candidates of the party in the 2027 election,” he urged.
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