\u2026Says desperate plot to derail Tinubu\u2019s security agenda will fail<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A prominent pressure group within the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Integrity Network, has accused the Zamfara State Government of sponsoring a recent protest against the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, as part of a broader plan to sabotage the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a strongly worded statement issued on Friday in Abuja, Bamidele Ibrahim Ayoola, President of the APC Integrity Network, described the protest staged by the so-called APC Young Leaders Alliance as a \u201ccash-for-mob stunt\u201d orchestrated by political hirelings loyal to the current Zamfara administration, aimed at distracting Matawalle from his ongoing service to Nigeria\u2019s defence and security architecture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ayoola said the protesters were \u201cmobilised with peanuts\u201d and that many of them had no knowledge of who Matawalle was or the content of the petition they supposedly supported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is shameful and dangerous for any group to rent a crowd to smear a sitting minister at a time when national unity and security should be our focus. We have credible evidence that these protesters were sponsored with state funds from Zamfara, with each participant receiving between N10,000 and N20,000 to carry placards they can\u2019t even read,\u201d Ayoola said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the APC Integrity Network, several eyewitnesses at the EFCC headquarters and within the Maitama axis confirmed seeing two buses, marked with Zamfara state government fleet numbers, dropping off the protesters at the EFCC gates in the early hours of Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey arrived in chartered vehicles from Kaduna and Gusau, clearly not grassroots APC members as they claimed. Some of the placards were even mislabelled, calling the minister \u2018Bello Masari\u2019 instead of Matawalle, exposing the hasty nature of the arrangement,\u201d Ayoola added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The group also released images and short video clips purportedly showing cash being handed out to some protesters after the demonstration, and claimed the funds were allegedly funneled through a proxy linked to a senior aide in the Zamfara government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ayoola maintained that the campaign against Matawalle is part of a wider agenda to undermine the APC-led federal government and sow internal division within the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said the protest was part of a deliberate campaign to destabilise the Tinubu government by attacking its key ministers, especially those seen as influential in northern politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is not just about Matawalle. This is about weakening Tinubu\u2019s cabinet from within and fuelling disunity in the APC. These enemies of progress are hoping to frame President Tinubu\u2019s ministers as corrupt or ineffective ahead of 2027,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is not just about Matawalle. It\u2019s about distracting our party\u2019s federal ministers and creating a false narrative of selective justice to confuse the public. This is about weakening Tinubu\u2019s cabinet from within and fuelling disunity in the APC. These enemies of progress are hoping to frame President Tinubu\u2019s ministers as corrupt or ineffective ahead of 2027.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Recall that Matawalle served as governor of Zamfara from 2019 to 2023 and was appointed Minister of State for Defence by President Bola Tinubu as part of efforts to strengthen the national response to insecurity, especially in the northern region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The APC Integrity Network says since assuming office, Matawalle has been \u201claser-focused\u201d on tackling insecurity in Zamfara and other frontline states, and that \u201cenemies of progress\u201d are alarmed by the goodwill he has continued to attract across party lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is unfortunate that while the minister is deploying his experience to help the Nigerian military counter banditry and terrorism, some bitter politicians in his home state are sponsoring protests to distract him,\u201d the group said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe truth is, the defence minister has been laser-focused on improving military operations in the North-West. That is why he\u2019s being targeted. But the public must not fall for these diversionary tactics. If anything, this protest proves that he\u2019s hitting the right nerves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo we challenge the EFCC to investigate the source of the funds used to sponsor Friday\u2019s protest. Who paid for the transport, food, accommodation, and banners? Nigerians deserve to know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The APC Integrity Network urged President Tinubu, the National Working Committee of the APC, and security agencies to investigate what it described as a coordinated campaign to bring down prominent members of the party using state-sponsored blackmail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf anyone has facts or proof against Matawalle, let them follow due process. But this rented crowd strategy must stop. The APC must not become a theatre for vendettas,\u201d Ayoola concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The group also warned that should these \u201cmercenary protests\u201d continue, they would be forced to name and shame state actors funding the campaign, and petition relevant federal agencies for breach of public trust and diversion of funds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The APC Integrity Network vowed to remain vigilant and continue defending party leaders who are being unfairly targeted by what they called \u201cenemies within and outside the party.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u2026Says desperate plot to derail Tinubu\u2019s security agenda will fail A prominent pressure group within the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Integrity Network, has accused the Zamfara State Government of sponsoring a recent protest against the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, as part of a broader plan to sabotage the administration…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2041,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_show_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_type":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_alignemt":"","sfsi_plus_gutenburg_max_per_row":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2069","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t