Group accuses Zamfara gov’s camp of attacking Matawalle over calls for emergency rule
The Northern Patriots for Justice and Democracy (NPJD) has accused the Zamfara State government of launching a political war against President Bola Tinubu and Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, over mounting calls for a declaration of a state of emergency in the state. In a statement issued in Kaduna on Sunday and signed […]
Zamfara state map
The Northern Patriots for Justice and Democracy (NPJD) has accused the Zamfara State government of launching a political war against President Bola Tinubu and Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, over mounting calls for a declaration of a state of emergency in the state.
In a statement issued in Kaduna on Sunday and signed by its president, Alhaji Ibrahim Shehu Gwandu, the group alleged that part of the governor’s media strategy is to sponsor fictitious civil society groups to launch a coordinated smear campaign against Matawalle, including authoring phony petitions to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
“These groups have been paid to fabricate petitions against Matawalle and frame him as the enemy of progress in Zamfara,” Gwandu said.
“They are manipulating the narrative, trying to make it seem like the former governor is being hounded for corruption, when in reality, it is Matawalle’s close ties to President Tinubu and his firm stance on insecurity that have made him a target.”
Gwandu further accused the governor’s camp of “weaponising falsehood” against the federal government.
“There is now a calculated attempt to shift public anger toward the presidency by pushing the narrative that Tinubu is responsible for the hunger in the land. But the truth is, Dauda Lawal has squandered the resources of Zamfara State and has virtually nothing to show for his almost two years in office,” he said.
Zamfara has faced growing calls for a state of emergency in recent weeks. Armed attacks have intensified across several local government areas, displacing thousands and deepening the state’s humanitarian crisis.
At the same time, the political structure has fractured, with 10 suspended lawmakers forming a parallel assembly and claiming legislative authority—effectively splitting the house into two warring factions.