Defection Saga: Don’t Dare Me, Matawalle Warns Deputy

The gulf appears to be widening between Zamfara Governor, Bello
Matawalle, and his deputy, Mahdi Aliyu, after the Governor
threatened to give the deputy governor “the treatment he deserves”
if he dared him.

Aliyu, son of former National Security Adviser, General Aliyu
Muhammed Gusau, has refused to follow Matawalle to the All
Progressives Congress (APC) and even addressed a rally of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the platform that brought the two
of them to power, to reaffirm his loyalty to the party.

This has not gone down well with the Governor, who told the
Hausa Service of Deutsch Welle on Saturday that he was getting fed
up with Aliyu’s disrespectful attitude.

“I won’t join issues with him. But if he dares me, I will give
him the treatment he deserves,” Matawalle said, hours after the
House of Assembly invited the Deputy Governor to come and explain
why he held the rally without regard for the current security
situation in the state and ”in disrespect of advice by the security
authorities in the state.”

Zamfara is facing a serious security challenge with bandits
kidnapping and killing people at will.

There are fears that the House of Assembly summons may be the
first step by the legislative arm towards impeaching Aliyu.

The legislators have already switched camps from the PDP to the
APC.

Matawalle said: “I just read about the impeachment plan and
called someone for clarification, who told me that they would not
accept it from the deputy governor to be organising rallies when
people are being killed.

“As governor of the state, I promised to work together with the
deputy governor irrespective of our political affiliations. But I
won’t tolerate a disrespectful attitude from him.”

Speaker Nasiru Magarya, had faulted Aliyu for holding the
rally.

“It is wrong for the deputy governor to hold a political rally
in this critical time,” he said.

Aliyu said in a recent BBC Hausa Service interview that his
decision to remain in the PDP was in honour of the mandate given to
the party by the Supreme Court.

“Remember how the Supreme Court brought us to power. That’s why
I am thankful to God and chose to remain in the PDP,” he said.

The apex court, according to him, awarded the electoral victory
in 2019 to the PDP and not just its candidates.

The gulf appears to be widening between Zamfara Governor, Bello
Matawalle, and his deputy, Mahdi Aliyu, after the Governor
threatened to give the deputy governor “the treatment he deserves”
if he dared him.

Aliyu, son of former National Security Adviser, General Aliyu
Muhammed Gusau, has refused to follow Matawalle to the All
Progressives Congress (APC) and even addressed a rally of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the platform that brought the two
of them to power, to reaffirm his loyalty to the party.

This has not gone down well with the Governor, who told the
Hausa Service of Deutsch Welle on Saturday that he was getting fed
up with Aliyu’s disrespectful attitude.

“I won’t join issues with him. But if he dares me, I will give
him the treatment he deserves,” Matawalle said, hours after the
House of Assembly invited the Deputy Governor to come and explain
why he held the rally without regard for the current security
situation in the state and ”in disrespect of advice by the security
authorities in the state.”

Zamfara is facing a serious security challenge with bandits
kidnapping and killing people at will.

There are fears that the House of Assembly summons may be the
first step by the legislative arm towards impeaching Aliyu.

The legislators have already switched camps from the PDP to the
APC.

Matawalle said: “I just read about the impeachment plan and
called someone for clarification, who told me that they would not
accept it from the deputy governor to be organising rallies when
people are being killed.

“As governor of the state, I promised to work together with the
deputy governor irrespective of our political affiliations. But I
won’t tolerate a disrespectful attitude from him.”

Speaker Nasiru Magarya, had faulted Aliyu for holding the
rally.

“It is wrong for the deputy governor to hold a political rally
in this critical time,” he said.

Aliyu said in a recent BBC Hausa Service interview that his
decision to remain in the PDP was in honour of the mandate given to
the party by the Supreme Court.

“Remember how the Supreme Court brought us to power. That’s why
I am thankful to God and chose to remain in the PDP,” he said.

The apex court, according to him, awarded the electoral victory
in 2019 to the PDP and not just its candidates.