The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, has refuted the accusations made by Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, alleging that the governor has been making false claims against him with the aim of ousting him from President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet.
In response to the recent corruption allegations levelled against him by the Zamfara State Government, the former governor of Zamfara State, who held office from 2019 to 2023, categorically denied the charges.
The Zamfara State Government had accused Matawalle of embezzling billions of naira from an unfinished state cargo airport project. Additionally, he was accused of misappropriating ₦1 billion from the local government joint account on October 25, 2021.
Speaking out on the allegations during an interview with DCL Hausa on Tuesday, November 7, 2023, Matawalle accused Governor Dauda of propagating falsehoods to tarnish his reputation.
Matawalle stated, “For just one of the airport roads, it cost over ₦4 billion, but he chose to fabricate lies about everything. He also disrupted our state’s infrastructure projects just to create a false narrative against me.”
Referring to claims about the state’s education sector, he mentioned having the necessary documents to counter the accusations, highlighting that Governor Dauda seemed unwilling to consider the evidence.
Matawalle continued, “Sponsoring individuals to spread falsehoods and make baseless accusations against me won’t advance your agenda of having me removed as a minister.”
Regarding the incomplete airport project, the minister said Governor Dauda had demolished a road that his administration had previously built.
“On the matter of the airport road, once Dauda assumed office, he deceived the public by promising to repair the airport road. However, he used a bulldozer to destroy the road that we had already constructed,” Matawalle explained. “He did this to discredit my achievements and imply that I had not worked for the state. He took similar actions regarding the Ruga project, undoing our investments.”
Matawalle also stressed that Governor Dauda’s actions did not only harm his image but also negatively affected the people of Zamfara, as he had sworn an oath to safeguard their lives and property.
It is worth noting that in March, Bello Matawalle lost his re-election bid for a second term to Governor Dauda, who ran under the banner of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
