Zamfara People Denied Their Due Because I Don’t Belong To APC  – Gov  Lawal Laments

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The Zamfara State Government  has accused the President Bola Tinubu administration of not playing its moral and constitutional role of treating every unit of the Federation as its own Constituency.

The State Governor, Dauda Lawal regretted that rather than sharing the resources of the Federal Government equitably,  justly and fairly, the All Progressive Congress APC-led Federal Government of Nigeria has instead chosen to  isolate States, including Zamfara, that are being governed by opposition parties.

In a trending video online, Governor Lawal, whose State has been battling insurgency for over a decade, lamented that Zamfara State under his watch has not received a dime or any form of palliatives  from the Federal Government owing, primarily, to his membership of the opposition  Peoples Democratic party PDP.

According to him, the case of Zamfara State sharply contrasts with APC-controlled States, which he said have received over N500 billion worth of palliatives since the removal of petroleum products subsidies.

Governor Lawal regretted that these funds that were earmarked by the Federal Government to cushion the excruciating economic hardships occasioned by the subsidy removal on the people across the country and party line have been deployed to the sole advantage of APC States, and those perceived to be in the good books of the Federal Government.

“I know of some States that have received over N500 billion from the Federal Government as palliatives. But I have never received anything. I think the reason I don’t get it is because I am not in APC, even though it is not supposed to be so.

“The palliatives which were introduced by the Federal Government as a way of cushioning the effects of the petroleum products subsidy removal are supposed to be shared equitably and fairly to all the component units of the Nigerian Federation”, Lawal said.

This is as he emphasized that citizens should not suffer and be denied their dues simply on account of political preferences and rivalry between different layers of Government

However, despite the seeming antagonism and deprivation of his people their rights, Governor Lawal ruled out the possibility of his defection to the ruling party at the centre.

The Source reports that Governor Lawal and Zamfara State’s alleged plights were  the same with past opposition Governors most of whom, for reason of  personal political survival or promised Federal Government patronage or both,have joined the APC .

Instructively, almost all the defecting Governors have cited the need to accelerate development activities in their states and improve the lots of their people as major reasons for their action.