PDP rejects imposition of no-fly-zone on Zamfara

By Gbade Ogunwale, Abuja

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has vehemently rejected the no-fly-zone imposed on Zamfara State following incessant bandit attacks on communities across the troubled state.

At a media briefing on Wednesday by the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party alleged what it described as a sinister plot by the All Progressives Congress (APC) led Federal Government to forcefully take over the governance of Zamfara State through imposition of an orchestrated state of emergency.

“Our party rejects this attempt by power-mongers in the APC administration to undermine and subvert the democratic order in Zamfara state by creating the impression that the state government, under Governor Bello Muhammad Matawalle, is to blame for the failures of the APC-led federal government to contain insecurity in the state,” Ologbondiyan said.

The party spokesman noted how the APC led federal government has remained quiet over disturbing viral videos, showing self-confessed bandits admitting their fury of being abandoned by the APC after the party had used them to muscle the 2015 and 2019 elections.

The PDP also accused some unnamed APC leaders, masquerading under “extraneous organisations” of making political capital of the situation in Zamfara, a development the PDP said, has led to the escalation of violence in the state.

Asking that the Zamfara governor be left alone, the PDP charged the federal government to wake up to its responsibility of confronting bandits, terrorists, kidnappers and vandals, particularly those the APC allegedly brought into Nigeria from other countries.

Continuing, the PDP spokesman said: “Our party insists that the statutory onus, under our democracy, is on President Muhammadu Buhari and the Federal Government to secure lives and property in all parts of Nigeria, including Zamfara state.

“It is further instructive to state that the Matawalle administration adopted an intervention approach as a distressed measure following the manifest failures of the Buhari Presidency to guarantee the security of lives and property in the state.

“It is on record that Governor Matawalle is not the first Governor, particularly in the North West, to adopt such approach in the face of the huge incapacity of the Buhari administration to save lives.

“More so, there is escalated banditry, terrorism, kidnapping and other forms of violent acts in APC controlled states of the North West, like Kaduna and Katsina; in the North East of Borno and Yobe as well as the North Central states of Niger, Nasarawa, Plateau and Kogi.

“Yet, no attempt has been made by the Buhari Presidency to intimidate the governors of the various states or seek to impose a state of emergency or declare such states as no fly zone.

“It is even more worrisome that the Buhari Presidency will gloss over Kaduna, Niger and Mr. President’s home state of Katsina, where killings, kidnapping and abduction have become a daily routine, only to be contemplating an emergency situation in Zamfara”.

The PDP maintained that rather than a selective approach to fighting banditry, terrorism and kidnapping, the Buhari Presidency should go back to the drawing board and adopt a holistic approach to quell the prevailing insecurity in the land.

“Our party will therefore not allow the Buhari Presidency to tag and intimidate Governor Matawalle for seeking to find solutions to a very depressing situation.

“Consequently, the PDP hereby directs Governor Matawalle to stop his intervention approach as our party charges Nigerians to hold President Buhari and his administration directly responsible for any further assault or killing of innocent citizens in Zamfara state.

“In doing this, the PDP charges President Buhari to be mindful of the type of advice he receives from his officials in the security circle on this Zamfara security concerns, especially as there are allegations of hidden interest among his officials.

“President Buhari may wish to recall the allegations in the public space of alleged complicity by his National Security Adviser (NSA), Gen. Babagana Monguno, in the unfortunate situation in Zamfara state, upon which our party had called for investigation.

“Already, Governor Matawalle had declared that Mr. President was misinformed on the decision of imposing a “no fly zone’ on Zamfara, as recommended to him by Gen. Monguno.

“The PDP therefore vehemently rejects any attempt to impose a state of emergency and derail democratic order in Zamfara state by the APC as a means to forcefully take over the state”, the party said.

It cautioned that the obnoxious move to take over Zamfara was capable of triggering a national crisis, worsening the already tensed situation, derailing democracy and threaten the nation’s corporate existence.

The PDP recalled that there was an alleged plot by the APC to derail the Matawalle administration and forcefully take over the control of Zamfara shortly after the Supreme Court handed victory to the PDP in the 2019 governorship election.

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The party also said the alleged plot to take over Zamfara was the consequence of the refusal of Governor Matawalle to bow to pressure to defect to the APC.

“Nigerians can recall that our party had on December 19, 2020 issued a statement to alert of plots by the National Caretaker Committee of the APC, using an impostor, as spokesperson, to heighten insecurity in the Northwest part of our country.

“The PDP had in that statement further alerted of conspiracies by the APC to use the said impostor to destabilise Northwest states, particularly Zamfara, by creating the space for acts of violence and blame it on Governor Matawalle.

“Our party had also expressed concerns over series of devious statements against Governor Matawalle by the APC, a party that has been exposed to be encouraging acts of terrorism, banditry and kidnapping in our country,” the PDP said.

The party called on Governor Matawalle to remain strong and focused at this critical time. It also urged the people of Zamfara state to remain calm and continue to cooperate with security forces, under the democratic order, as they intensify efforts to rid the state and the nation of vicious outlaws.