PDP’s Lawal leads challenge against Matawalle in Zamfara governorship race

Between 2010 and 2019 when he was in opposition, Bello Matawalle get the pleasure of challenging the ruling party in Zamfara State. He was vocal and intimidating as his actions surpassed his most passionate rival, then Governor Abdulaziz Yari.

Mr. Matawalle gained the sympathy of the people of the country mainly because he knew how to weave his words in political meetings to make him look like a victim while Mr. Yari, former governor Ahmad Yarima and other politicians from the ruling party looked like criminals.

This was the style of Mr. Matawalle’s campaign until he secured the highest seat in the country through a Supreme Court decision in 2019.

Although Mr. Matawalle emerged as governor on the platform of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he later defected to the ruling party, APC.

It is safe to say that saying “Whatever happens” suits Mr. Matawalle, who is currently a governor seeking a second term.

Dauda Lawal, the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has taken over Mr. Matawalle’s job of being the victim and this is one of the reasons why the contest is exciting.

While Mr. Matawalle is now in the heat, because he was blamed by the opposition, Mr. Lawal is feeling the sympathy of the people. In almost every campaign campaign, he talked about how the state government used security agents to harass him and his party.

Messrs. Matawalle and Lawal are not the only candidates in the governorship election in the country. There are 13 other contestants, but these two are without a doubt.

The background

Mr Matawalle has solidified his grip on the APC with the reconciliation that saw the two top contenders for the leadership of the party, Mr Yari and Kabiru Marafa, throw their support behind him. He has one of the easiest paths to primary elections in the country this year as the party and other stakeholders have given him the green light to seek a second term.

With the “blessings” of Messrs. Yari, Yerima and Marafa, the governor secured the party ticket promising to bring everyone. He then did a small cabinet reshuffle to accommodate new friends in his government and everything seemed to be going well until Mr. Lawal showed up.

Mr. Lawal, on the other hand, had to fight against a group of opponents to secure the nomination. Former members of the House of Representatives, Ibrahim Shehu-Gusau, Wadatau Madawaki, Aliyu Mohammed and others contested against Mr. Lawal.

After the primary election, the legal battle ended in the Supreme Court. The contest took Mr. Lawal to five different courts before he could feel relief.

Mr. Lawal’s decision to contest came as a surprise as it was thought that Mahadi Ali-Gusau, the former vice president who was intercepted by Matawalle, would be the PDP candidate. His father, Aliyu Gusau, a former minister of defense and national security adviser, is the leader of the PDP in the state. But it seems that Mr. Mahadi prefers to encourage Mr. Lawal to fight against the former headmaster.

Issue

As the incumbent governor, Mr. Matawalle has the upper hand in the contest.

The party has been the dominant party in the country since 1999. From the All Peoples Party (APP) to the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) to the APC, the party has always won elections in the country. In 2007, Governor Mahmuda Shinkafi crossed over to the PDP but failed to run for a second term. In 2019, Mr. Matawalle won through the Supreme Court under the PDP but quickly defected to the APC. Besides, the state has always been an APC state.

Mr. Matawalle also has his party and supporters. There is no doubt that Mr. Yari is the most influential member of the party in the country with a good national reach and a large following in the country. His decision to support Mr. Matawalle for a second term has made the party and its members.

Mr. Yari has influence in the country because he is ready to splash money and gifts to the constituents. The support is exactly what he said when he honored Sallah to the governor last year.

“If you support me but you don’t support the governor, please withdraw your support for me because the governor and I are one,” he said.

The party has other big figures like Messrs. Yerima, Marafa and Shinkafi. Others like former deputy governors Mukhtar Ahmed and Ibrahim Wakkala have also joined the league of Mr. Matawalle’s supporters. One of the main successes of the governor was to unite the party.

Another factor working in his favor is the fact that the state gave the APC 298,396 votes in the recently concluded presidential election. The party’s success in the election is seen as a good sign for the party.

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Also read: #NigeriaDecides2023: Yari wins Zamfara West Senate seat

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Mr. Matawalle is also one of the governors with the highest number of aides in the country. The argument is that the incumbent will work hard to return to power. He has also employed more civil servants in the country, especially in the health and education sectors, more than his two predecessors. To be fair to him, Mr. Matawalle has kept his promise to get more hands on for schools and hospitals across the country, despite labor issues including non-payment of rising salaries.

While he has the factor of incumbency and party unity behind him, Mr. Matawalle, however, has a head to contend with. The demand for power to move to the central zone of the country since 1999. Mr. Matawalle hails from the western zone which has produced three governors since 1999.

Mr. Yarima (1999-2007), Mr. Yari (2011 – 2019) and now Mr. Matawalle. Among them, Mr. Shinkafi from the northern zone led from 2007-2011. The central zone has a deputy governor, Mr. Wakkala from (2011-2023) and the incumbent Hassan Nasiha. The battle is for the zone to take the top job and that is why Mr. Lawal, who hails from Gusau in the central zone, continues to grow stronger.

One of Mr. Lawal’s biggest strengths is the number of people who expect the middle zone to get seats this time.

PDP candidates and the party in general also accused Mr. Matawalle of not doing enough capital projects. He challenged Mr. Matawalle and the APC to show his project but the latter did not respond to the challenge.

One other thing that Mr. Lawal can use is the widespread economic situation, poverty and insecurity in the country. The PDP has used the issue of banditry specifically to campaign against the APC in the state. And with the increasing number of terrorist attacks, citizens may feel that the APC, despite being in power for eight years, cannot stop the menace.

Mr. Lawal also has better educational qualifications than Mr. Matawalle. While the PDP candidate has a PhD in Business administration and worked in the banking sector to reach the position of executive director, Mr. Matawalle has a bachelor’s degree from Thames Valley University, London and has worked as a teacher and later in the Federal Ministry. Water Resources.

While Mr. Matawalle has been in politics since at least 1998, serving as a member of the DPR, commissioner, member of the DPR and now governor, Mr. Lawal does not have much political experience and may be considered against him.

The PDP candidate asserted that with his background in business and economics, he can change the fortunes of the country.

While the PDP is strong and has the blessing of a retired general (Mr. Gusau) who can help financially, Mr. Lawal is having a headache. He has a long way to go to convince the trio of Messrs Ibrahim Gusau, Madawaki and Aliyu Muhammad who see him as an intruder in the PDP. The Supreme Court ruling that came less than a week to the election has opened another wound to Mr. Lawal’s journey as he has not had time to convince some of his opponents in the PDP to support him. Mr. Matawalle could use it to his advantage and get the trio and supporters on the side.

PDP is strong and united in the central zone while APC is divided in the zone. The inconclusive senatorial election in the zone has also made the PDP appear to be the favorite in the zone while casting doubt on some of the top figures of the APC.

Jabaka and others

Other notable contestants include Kabiru Jabaka and Aliyu Dansadau of the New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP) and the National Rescue Movement (NRM).

Mr. Jabaka was the deputy chairman of the PDP before he quit the party to take the NNPP governorship ticket while Mr. Dansadau’s main weapon is his father, Sa’idu Dansadau, a veteran politician who was a senator from 1999-2003.