Accusations and counter accusations between Governor Dauda Lawal and the Minister of State for Defence Bello Matawalle, on the spate of insecurity in Zamfara have continued to fester.

Some support groups of Matawalle had accused Governor Lawal of doing little or nothing to address insecurity.

But the Arewa Integrity League, yesterday told supporters of Matawalle to desist from orchestrating a deliberate smear campaign against Lawal.

Its Spokesperson, Musa Garba, in a statement, said Matawalle should refrain from manipulating false reports against Governor Lawal and former National Security Adviser, Aliyu Gusau, among others in the obstructing the fight against insecurity.

Garba said: “Matawalle stands accused of orchestrating a false report linking Zamfara Governor Dauda Lawal Dare, former NSA Aliyu Gusau, and Defence Minister Badaru to the alleged criminal activities of his former aide, Bashir Hadeja.”

The group noted that Matawalle has been at loggerheads with Governor Lawal and Gusau for years, with tensions escalating in recent weeks. By roping in Defence Minister Abubakar Badaru, Matawalle aimed to create confusion and falsely implicate him in the scandal.

“Matawalle’s antics are well-known. He is using Hadeja’s case to settle scores with his political enemies and drag down others to cover his tracks,” he claimed.

He advised Nigerians to be careful with alleged Matawalle’s misinformation tactics, exposing his plan to use Hadeja’s situation to tarnish the reputations of his adversaries.

“As for governor Lawal Dare, it is obvious that Matawalle is uncomfortable that the current governor is doing his best to rescue the state from Matawalle’s destructive legacies.

“This expose aims to set the record straight and alert the public to Matawalle’s smear campaign,” he added. (Saturday Sun)