The All Progressives Congress Akida Forum has formally apologized to Defense Minister Bello Matawalle for its earlier protest and demand for an investigation into the Zamfara state governorship.
In a statement signed by Alhaji Farouk Adamu, the group said it had expelled its members who led the protests against the minister, including Mahmoud Mohammed, from the EFCC office.
Mr Adamu said an emergency committee had been set up to investigate the protests and found that financial inducements led to these wrong decisions.
Specifically, he said, after collecting as much as N50 million from a hatchet job, Mr. Muhammad refused to pay the mob he hired to take him to the EFCC to protest. .
Mr. Adamu maintained that their claims were baseless and motivated by a desire to participate in sharing national resources that they believed were being unfairly distributed.
Unfortunately, Adam said greed clouded their judgment and led them to make false allegations against Matawalle.
He said: “The All Progressives Congress Akida Forum wishes to formally apologize to the Minister of Defence, Bello Matawalle, for the previous protest and call for an investigation into his tenure as governor of Zamfara State.” .
“We have distanced ourselves from the protests and have already expelled from the EFCC Secretariat the members who led this action, including Mr. Mahmoud Mohammed.
“Our initial claims were baseless and were driven by a desire to participate in the sharing of national resources, which we believed were unfairly distributed to bandits and media personnel. Unfortunately, greed clouded our judgment and led us to make false allegations against Matawalle.”
Further investigation revealed that the group’s actions were misguided and orchestrated by Governor Dauda Lawal.
Mr Adamu claimed that the governor was motivated by both politics and personal gain, saying that Mr Matawalle’s growing influence and impressive achievements in the fight against banditry threatened the governor’s political ambitions and illegal gold mining operations. He added that he was concerned that there might be.
Mr Adamu said the consequences of Governor Lawal’s actions were alarming and he was not only wasting taxpayers’ money and undermining security efforts but also addressing pressing issues affecting Zamfara State such as poverty, education and healthcare. He pointed out that it was distracting from the situation.
The forum commended Mr Matawalle for turning the tide in the fight against banditry and personally leading the war to the North West, adding that his courage and strategic leadership had brought hope to the region.
The group advised Governor Lawal to stop wasting taxpayers’ money on fighting Matawalle and instead focus on governance and addressing the pressing needs of Zamfara State.
“We commend Mr. Matawalle for turning the tide in the fight against bandits and personally leading the war to the northwest,” Adam further said.
“His courage and strategic leadership have brought hope to the region. We urge the Minister not to relent in his efforts to protect Nigeria. His dedication is critical to the security of the country.
“Governor Lawal should stop wasting tax money fighting a man blessed by God. Instead, he should focus on governance and addressing the pressing needs of Zamfara State.
“We advise our members to embrace truth and honesty and turn a new leaf. Let us work together for the betterment of Zamfara State. We thank Mr. Matawalle for his forgiveness and understanding.”
