The Mayor of Urhoboland, Eshanekpe Israel aka Akpodoro, has said that the commitment of the minister of state for defence, Dr. Bello Matawalle’s commitment to the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress, APC is a threat to the political hegemonic bloc in Northern Nigeria and that accounts for the vicious campaign of calumny, villification against his person, calculated attempt and well-oiled conspiracy to pull him down at all cost.
Mayor Akpodoro, who is also the president of the National Coalition of Niger Delta Ex-Agitators, NCNDE-A, made the disclosure at the banquet organised to celebrate his achievements in social service to humanity.
He noted that Dr. Matawalle has demonstrated a weird loyalty and patriotism even when such is not fashionable among some elements in the political North who see themselves as Nigeria’s power brokers and to whose whim any president who intends to be popular must align, and if otherwise must be pulled down.
He further stated that, Dr Matawalle’s obstinacy and crusade in loyalty to the current administration is a major albatross to those he described as “Nigeria’s born to rule”, a reason he said the oligarchs vowed to pull down the former Zamfara helmsman at all cost using the willing tools from his state to discredit him to President Tinubu and his administration, a development that the Urhobo-born Mayor said has rather thrusted the “amiable Minister higher than they thought.”
Akpodoro further stated that the fears among that section of the northern political class is also the growing popularity of the Minister among the northern masses in particular and Nigerians across divides in general adding that there’s the notion that if the Minister survives the anti Matawalle crusade into 2027, they may nosedive into political oblivion which is why the arrowhead who is a sitting governor is not relenting in ensuring that he drives home his antagonism against his precedessor and possibly deal his reputation injuries towards 2027 politics.
Akpodoro called on the President to hold on tenaciously to Matawalle, who he said is the arrowhead of the war against insurgency and banditry in the North.
He described banditry as a huge enterprise that members of Northern elites feast on over the years and with the non relenting efforts of Dr Matawalle to dismantle their criminal enterprise, there must be a fight back against the pivot of the onslaught on their cashcow of which all Nigerians are aware.
“The President should make Matawalle a substantive Minister to enable him to break more grounds in the war against insurgency. He should also sack all non performing ministers who are clogs in the wheel of progress of this administration.
Many of the ministers are redundant and need to be shown the way out. Expedite action is needed to rejig the cabinet and bring in new hands to join the highflying appointees like Dr. Matawalle.
“We are aware that Dr. Matawalle is an enemy of those who see themselves as power brokers in the north, owners of Zamfara State, and more. It is public knowledge that when Matawalle assumed office as the governor of his state within his first 100 days in office, there was no incidences of banditry of any type. Before then, he brought everyone to a roundtable, and peace was birthed after the retreat he had with all stakeholders in the state.
“However, anarchists were not happy, their enterprise is banditry, illegal mining activities using blood thirsty criminals to kill and maim the people. Now, Matawalle’s soaring popularity instills morbid fears in them, and that’s why they are running from pillar to post and shall fail,” Akpodoro stated.
He called on the masses of Nigeria to pray for the success of all who are genuinely involved in the war against banditry and insurgency as he challenged Governor Dauda Lawal to spend the security votes available to him in the war against banditry.
He said security votes are not for private pockets but for peace and tranquility in the state.
He said: “Rather than pointing fingers deliberately in wrong direction and derelicting in your duty as the supposed chief security of officer your state, expend the security votes appropriately and achieve result.
“Your predecessor, who was your boss in the past, deserves some respect and honour. Tackle insecurity objectively and win the war against crimes and criminalities in the state,” Akpodoro told Governor Lawal.
