BY ANKELI EMMANUEL, Sokoto
A group under the auspices of All Progressives Congress (APC) Youth Wing Mobilisation Vanguard has urged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) elders in the North West to focus on resolving their internal political crises than on the futile attempt to drag Minister of State for Defence, Hon Bello Mohammed Matawalle into their failure.
The group, in a statement signed by its Chairman, Alhaji Ashiru Tukur reacting to the allegation of harassment of PDP supporters in the Northwest by Matawalle, said, it’s simply a baseless propaganda geared towards portraying the APC in bad light before Nigerians.
According to Alhaji Tukur, the PDP Professionals Support Movement had last week appealed to President Bola Tinubu to stop Matawalle from further harassment of opposition political leaders in the region.
Tukur in his defence of the Minister said, the allegations of political harassment by whatever means against any political groups in the country under the present administration of Tinubu are baseless and cheap political propaganda aimed at tarnishing the image of the APC led administration.
Registering his displeasure over such allegation, Alhaji Tukur blasted PDP members in the North as a collection of disappointed and failed politicians that have mastered mischief purposefully to create political instability and unleash havoc and distrust among Nigerians.
“Apart from PDP’s woeful failure, they failed to govern even in a state wrecked by poverty and economic degradation coupled with insecurity as a result of negligence and poor governance.
“Anytime PDP wants to bury their inability at the state, they will resort to mudslinging and name calling. This is mere display of incompetence and weakness associated with hatred and blackmail of targeted political personalities like Minister Matawalle in an attempt to create a heightened tension, conflict, and disharmony at a time people are looking for solutions to insecurity, hunger and poverty,” said Tukur.
Continuing, Tukur said the Minister of State for Defence is a philanthropist who continues to identify with the people of the state in times of hardship and joy.
“Just recently, the Minister, Mutawalle and Senator Abdulaziz Yari donated millions of Naira in cash, food items, and assorted materials to the people affected by flood disaster in Gummi local government of the state.
“All these, despite the aggression and enmity displayed against him and his political allies by the PDP opponents.
“Therefore, it becomes imperative to recognize the deleterious consequences associated with the PDP’s deliberate attempt to smear the name of Matawalle as this undermines the foundation of collaborative endeavors, hinders social cohesion, and fosters an environment antithetical to the pursuit of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda.”
While admonishing the PDP as an opposition political party to engage in constructive criticism, the APC youth group demanded an urgent apology from the PDP leaders who sponsored the campaign of calumny against Bello Matawalle the Minister of State for Defence and other APC leaders castigated for no just cause.