Femi Fani-Kayode, a senior member of the All Progressives Congress, has slammed those calling for the resignation of Bello Matawalle, the Minister of State for Defence and former governor of Zamfara State.
In a statement issued on Friday, the former Ministry of Aviation stated that those urging President Bola Tinubu to remove the minister in light of charges leveled against the former governor were only pursuing wild geese.
The previous governor was recently accused by the state administration of embezzling billions of naira planned for a cargo airport.
The allegation has fueled calls for the removal of the minister from President Tinubu’s cabinet.
Reacting, FFK described the allegations as unsubstantiated, insisting that they were well-sponsored and well-orchestrated by his enemies in Zamfara to tarnish Matawalle’s image.
The statement reads, “Those who have called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to remove my friend and brother, Bello Matawalle, the former Governor of Zamfara State, as the Minister of State for Defence, are on a wild goose chase.
“I say this because, firstly, the unsubstantiated allegations being made against him are false and are nothing but part of a well-sponsored and well-orchestrated plot by his enemies in Zamfara State to discredit and destroy him.
“Matawalle was the first Governor in the North West to align himself with President Tinubu long before the presidential campaign even started, and he, more than anyone else, built the bridge of trust between the North and the South West.
“He worked assiduously and diligently day and night to achieve this, and I can bear witness to that.
“The notion that President Bola Tinubu would contemplate dropping him from his cabinet simply because of the baseless allegations being peddled about him, and after he has displayed such unalloyed support and unquestioning loyalty, is absurd.
“Those after Matawalle and seeking his downfall are laboring in vain.
“I have known him for many years; he is a profoundly good man, and he shall do an excellent job as Minister of State for Defence.”
