The Minister of State for Defence and the immediate past Governor of Zamfara, Dr Bello Matawalle, has formerly invited Gov. Dauda Lawal to join the All Progressives Congress (APC).
This is contained in a statement issued in Gusau on Sunday by Alhaji Ibrahim Dosara,former Commissioner for Information in the state.
He said that the minister made the call on Saturday at his residence in his hometown Maradun, while receiving thousands of supporters who paid him a Sallah homage.
He urged Lawal, who was voted on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to join the Progressives for progress of the state.
According to the minister, instead of Lawal trying to sneak into the party, he should come out in the open to follow the proper channel and join the party.
“Dauda Lawal should come and join the APC rather than the hide-and-seek type of game the Governor is currently playing,” Matawalle was quoted as adding.
The minister assured Lawal that he does not hold any grudge against him, adding that Lawal was highly welcome into the comfortable fold of the APC.
Matawalle also urged Lawal to embrace the APC to join what he described as the trailblazer of security, progress, developments, peace and tranquility.
The minister emphasised that President Bola Tinubu, as a progressive leader, was a good manager of peace and tranquility.
“President Tinubu’s focus is on the development of the country and welcomes all wishing to join the trailblazer of peace, harmony growth and development.”
Matawalle assured his teeming supporters of his commitment to their welfare and urged them to continue to support Tinubu for the realisation of his Renewed Hope Agenda.
The minister urged the APC supporters in the state to support the president particularly in the areas of security, agriculture, health, social wellbeing and economic development.
He said the president had Zamfara at heart and he was always looking forward to salvaging its current situation of insecurity and economic hardship.
Matawalle appealed to the people of the state to give their maximum support to the laudable desire of the president.
The minister recalled how the Tinubu’s administration recently eliminated several terrorists’ kingpins and their foot soldiers, who were hitherto terrorising the state, the region and the county in general.
He said the president had recently ordered the security operatives to bring to an end, the spate of insecurity in northern Nigeria before the end of the year.
Matawalle said the the Ministry of Defence and the security high commands were tirelessly working out modalities to ensure compliance with the presidential directives.
He, however, lamented that Zamfara Government was not doing very well in terms of fighting banditry and welfare of the people of the state.
Matawalle said the Zamfara situation was so in spite of the huge monthly federal allocations being deployed to the state.
The minister, therefore, enjoined Lawal to justify the humongous federal allocations by providing developmental projects and basic infrastructure across the state.(NAN)
