Defection: Yari, Marafa vow to unsettle Governor Matawalle

There’s a fresh twist to the political development of Zamfara State over the defection of Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as two Chieftains have vowed to unsettle him.

Senator Kabir Garba Marafa and the former governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari who have been at daggers drawn on political issues seems to have closed ranks to confront the governor, CAPITAL POST as learnt.

The crisis being brewed was as a result of the declaration by the governor of Yobe State Governor and Caretaker Chairman of APC, Mai Mala-Buni making Matawalle as APC leader in Zamfara State.

Not comfortable with the development, Marafa who represented Zamfara Central Senatorial district in the 8th Senate rejected Matawalle as party leader as well as his estranged political colleague and a two time former governor of Zamfara State, Yari.

Buni had while receiving Matawalle into the ruling party in Gusau on Tuesday, announced the dissolution of the APC executives in Zamfara State and named Matawalle as the leader of the party.

Reacting at separate interviews with newsmen in Kaduna, both have rejected Matawalle as leader.

Marafa said: “We have rejected Buni’s declaration, and Matawalle is not the leader of the Party in Zamfara State.

“We made our stand known during a meeting with the governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai and we told him that we will not surrender to Matawalle leadership.

They also spoke after a meeting with the Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai that they will not surrender to the Matawalle leadership.

Yari vowed to challenge the the declaration of of the Caretaker Committee pronouncing Matawalle as APC leader in Zamfara, saying the pronouncement was not part of the previous arrangements with six governors before Mutawalle’s defection. .

According to him, APC was being deceptive and they will battle the party to the last, if the decision was not reverted.

He said: “For proper integration, there should be a meeting for proper consultations but all of a sudden, announcement was made that the party executives had been dissolved and someone was named as leader of our party.

CAPITAL POST recalled that Senator Marafa who contested governorship in 2019 general election had insisted on a meeting to fashion out each role of party Chieftains to avoid logjam.

The ex-lawmaker warned on the consequences of foisting the governor on the party.