Minister of State for Defence, Bello Mohammed Matawalle, has called on appointees of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu from the North to support the current administration or risk being sacked.
Matawalle’s comments come amidst controversy surrounding the remarks made by Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, Spokesperson for the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), who publicly regretted the northern region’s support for Tinubu in the 2023 elections.
Matawalle dismissed the NEF’s influence, suggesting that the forum holds little sway over the broader political landscape of the region. However, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, who once served as the Spokesperson of the NEF and currently a Special Adviser on Political Matters in the Presidency, criticized Matawalle for his comments.
In response to Baba-Ahmed’s criticism, Matawalle berated him for taking a different position despite being an appointee in the current government. Matawalle noted that Baba-Ahmed and Tinubu’s appointees owe the government the obligation to advance its good works and commend efforts across all the sectors.
Matawalle’s statement reads, “As appointees of the government from the North, we must all take a stand, be unequivocal and be counted in the roll of honours for our support and work for the success of the administration we are serving. This is not the time to keep quiet in the face of intimidation and misrepresentation of the efforts and achievements of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR. We must stand up to be counted for being on the part of government or take our exit.”
