As Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State continued to fight for political survival, the governor has allegedly earmarked over 1 billion naira to blackmail Senator Marafa.
As a first step, over N100 million was dedicated to mobilising the extended family members of Senator Marafa to make false allegations against Distinguished Senator Marafa out of the boiling venom of envy in their heart and compromised conscience.
Groups loyal to Senator Marafa confirmed that their investigation revealed that Sanusi Marafa received N20 million from the budget that is why he said in the video recording that “I could not sleep because of the volume of money received” in the presence of their factional Party Chairman. Alh. Tukur Marafa and Bilyaminu Sambo Marafa received N10 million naira each to betray their brother. On the other hand, a thug by name Danda Janwuya and his group received N1 million naira in exchange for their loyalty to Governor Matawalle and to speak lies against Senator Marafa.
The group also revealed that more factional members of the party received different amounts that amounts to over a billion naira to blackmail the outspoken Senator.
A member of the APC Faction loyal to Senator Marafa, told our reporter that; “we cannot join issues with family members and associates whose conscience is for sale. However, we are obliged to expose the immoral disposition of Governor Matawalle’s administration in using the lean state budget and woo skewed family members and associates to score a cheap political point.”
He added “For the record, Senator Kabiru Garba Marafa (CON) is one of the finest son that the family of the legendary Malam Sambo Dan-Ashafa has ever produced in recent times. This comes with a lot of recognition and appreciation from descent family members just as it attracted enmity from the envious folks. We are not surprised when an opportunistic government like that of Governor Bello Matawalle takes advantage of the large extended family for political transaction. We assure that the testimony of respected and genuine members of Senator Marafa’s extended family and associates which will come soon will overwhelmed the little that hundreds of millions dedicated by Matawalle could buy.”
Before now, sources within the Zamfara State government house has allege that the governor is afraid of a possible repeat of 2015, when he lost his third bid for the House of Representatives.
That determination could explain why 18 out of the 22-member state Assembly voted last Thursday to support the deputy governor’s impeachment, after the Deputy Speaker, Musa Bawa, submitted a statement in which the lawmakers were requested to commence impeachment proceedings against Gusau.
While Bawa moved a motion for the request to be considered, four members comprising three APC lawmakers and one PDP member were absent, even as the Speaker, Mu’azu Magarya, who urged his colleagues to accept his deputy’s request, was excluded from the voting.
Consequent upon the voting, the Zamfara State Chief Judge, Kulu Aliyu, was directed by the lawmakers to constitute an investigation panel to consider the allegations against the deputy governor. According to the request for impeachment, the lawmakers alleged that the deputy governor breached Sections 190 and 193 (1), (2) (a)(b)(c) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
It is left to be seen how far the impeachment process against the deputy governor would fare, especially against the background of the perceived hollowness of the allegations against him in the light of Federal High Court ruling on freedom of association in the PDP matter against Governor Matawalle.
Moreover, while the House of Assembly is scheming to satisfy the governor’s desire for total divorce from his deputy, the problems in APC and security situation in the state are combining to trouble the state chief executive.
The governor is being accused of unduly withholding the report of the committee he set up in 2019 to investigate the remote and immediate causes of banditry in the state and recommend possible solutions to the menace.
Although the panel headed by a retired Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, submitted its report in October 2019, two years after controversies still surround the implementation of the recommendations. Going by the committee’s terms of reference, they were to base their investigation for the period spanning June 2011 to May 29, 2019.
