Party chieftain replies Matawalle over comments on Amaechi

• Says he doesn’t know how APC was formed

By Jude Opara

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has hit hard at the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, over the recent warning to the former Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.

Eze advised that rather than resorting to what he described as mindless and aimless warning and intimidation, Matawalle, a former Governor of Zamfara State, should focus on fighting the hydra-headed security challenges bedeviling the country.

Matawalle had cautioned Amaechi of the consequences of inciting violence in the country.

The Minister warned that President Bola Tinubu administration would not stand by and allow the likes of Amaechi to manipulate Nigerian youths into chaos and violence.

He issued the warning against Amaechi’s comment at a conference in Abuja where the former Minister of Transportation said that Nigerian politicians must “steal, maim, and kill to remain in power.”

Reacting, the Minister said Amaechi had made an attempt to radicalize the youth and destabilize national security.

Eze, formerly the National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New Peoples Democratic Party, (nPDP) and an ally of Amaechi, said it was sad, demeaning and unfortunate for Matawalle, to be busy issuing unwarranted warning to Amaechi.

“We beg Matawalle to do well for the Tinubu administration by concentrating on how to help checkmate the menace of insecurity ravaging our nation under his watch rather than his arm-chair intimidation,” Eze said in a statement on Saturday.

Eze asked Matawalle to stop playing politics with the blood of Nigerians being spilled daily as a result of insecurity, and accept candid and impactful opinion on how best to deliver Nigerians from the shackles of bad democratic governance.

“In a democratic political system, citizens have the fundamental rights to freely add their voices to a national discourse towards purposeful and people-oriented governance.

“So, attempting to stifle dissent voices through beer parlour warning, carefully choreographed to intimidate citizens is to say the least, most reprehensible and insensitive of Matawalle.

“The way the present leaders of APC and her government are attempting to reduce Nigeria to an inglorious and regrettable political system will be highly resisted as that was not part of our dreams and vision towards formation of APC in the first place.

“It is the height of insensitivity and sycophancy for Matawalle, who never knew how the APC was midwifed, to stand today to hurl invective and warning on masterminds of the emergence of APC, through which he is appointed a Minister today.

“Matawalle is one of those opportunists and middle-of-the-road political traders who do not know how APC came to be, but today enjoying the fruits of the likes of Amaechi, who sacrificed their lives for the formation of APC.

“It is sad that Tinubu is keeping people like Matawalle in his administration, who have no idea of the nature of duties of a Defence Minister, thereby allowing insecurity to continue to pervade every nook and cranny of Nigeria and Nigerians,” Chief Eze stated.

Eze reminded Matawalle that presently, there is high wave of armed banditry and kidnapping in his home State of Zamfara, just like other parts of North Western Nigeria, which requires his intervention as Defence Minister.