A leading Policy and Strategy Think-Tank known as Aruba Center for Policy and Strategy has lambasted the outgoing Governor of Zamfara State, Mr. Bello Matawalle for leading smear campaigns against the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa.
In a statement released to newsmen in Abuja on Friday by the Convener of the Center, Dr. Ody Ajike Esq, the group said, “Governor Matawalle is a drowning man desperately looking for an opportunity to redeem his rapidly declining political career”. The Center said that, “Matawalle should be ashamed that, he levied his people with hardship and pacified Zamfara indigenes with extreme poverty leaving Zamfara as the home with the highest number of documented poor and vulnerable people in Nigeria”.
Saying, ‘We are not against the strategy of Matawalle positioning himself for a political appointment or relevance in Bola Tinubu’s in-coming government after witnessing crushing defeat in his failed re-election bid. He is only trying to cause a collateral damage to anyone on his rapid decline to irrelevance”.
Matawalle’s pursuit of that finical ambition in this very disastrous way is what we cannot accept from him the group said. The group further said that Matawalle is fronting a kite to avoid being called to account for the years he served himself as Governor instead of the people of Zamfara State.
The group further accused Matawalle of overheating the polity with some reckless utterances in the past few days.
Last week, we read the news on how Governor Matawalle was directing the Federal Government not to allow the CBN Governor to travel out of the Country even when that was beyond his power.
This week, the same Matawalle is making an unfounded allegation against the Youthful and hardworking Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, alleging that Mr. Bawa demanded $2million bribe from him; an allegation he cannot prove.
Matawalle must give an account of what he has done with the resources of Zamfara people that made them the highest documented poor and vulnerable people in Nigeria with poverty rate of 84% and 56% lacking access to water and good sanitary conditions. He should understand that Nigerians are no more interested in pedestrian blackmailers like Bello Matawalle.
Signed:
Dr. Ody Ajike, Esq
Convener, Aruba Center for Policy and Strategy