The Senator Kabiru Mafara-led faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamfara state has accused the faction led by Governor Bello Matawalle of playing politics with religion and security.
Consequently, Mafara faction urged the Matawalle group to stop it in the overall interest of the state in particular and the nation at large.
This was contained in a statement on Thursday by the spokesperson for Mafara APC faction, Alhaji Bello Bakyasuwa and made available to SINL Nigeria Online in Gusau.
According to Bakyasuwa, using religion and security as tools for political blackmail was ungodly, unethical, malicious, cowardly and a recipe for perpetuation of anarchy in the state.
The statement said recent happenings in Zamfara State allegedly revealed that Governor Matawalle was using politics and religion against the opposition and necessitated a call for caution.
The statement which read in part said “In the last couple of months, every week comes with one controversy or the other arising from the mischief of accusing leading opposition political figures with a campaign of calumny shrouded in religion and insecurity.
“The most recent of those instances was the posters of former Governor Abdul’Azeez Yari and two of his loyalists with MaIam Ibrahim El Zak-Zaky that was displayed in strategic places within the state.
“Our understanding is that this is a cowardly act to create false association between the former Governor and the Shi’ite leader to score a cheap political point from public antagonism to the group”.
Bakyasuwa also alleged that early last week, the Matawalle faction of the APC through its Publicity Secretary, Yusuf Idris accused General Aliyu Gusau of aiding banditry to protect his mining investments.
“We made a public statement condemning the action and distanced ourselves from the statement because of the attempt to connect it with the Party for which we are all stakeholders and the respect for the elder statesman, even though we are from different political parties”.
Bakyasuwa explained further ”One person was arrested wearing a jersey with the picture of Senator Marafa during the military strike against the bandits and that was used as a news item in mushroom online media for another cheap blackmail”.
He maintained that other related accusations were made and publicized against Hon. Muttaka Rini and Dauda Lawal Dare all from the opposition camps of the APC which were considered condemnable.
He also added that the State House of Assembly has accused two of its member of aiding and abetting banditry and were suspended from the house without fair hearing.
“Both of them rejected the accusation and got themselves recorded taking the oath arbitrarily imposed on public officials using the Qur’an to exonerate themselves from the accusation.
“As a formidable stakeholder in the social and political stability of the state, we are seriously disturbed by the trend enumerated in those examples and more.
“We see in these false associations the potential to perpetuate the state of anarchy in the state through blackmail by creating trust question and sparking suspicion between the masses and the political class”.
“On behalf of Distinguished Senator Marafa (CON), we condemn these acts of mischief in totality and consider them capable of worsening the security situation of the state’.
“These baseless accusations and their perpetrators are ungodly, unethical and cowardly.
“We call on well-meaning individuals within and outside Zamfara state to prevail on this situation”.
