Matawalle alleges sabotage by FG in failed re-election bid

In a recent interview with DW Hausa, Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State alleged that some officials in the Federal Government worked against his re-election bid during the recently concluded gubernatorial election in the state.

Metawalle blames defeat on the Central Bank of Nigeria's (CBN) naira redesign policy

Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State and Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State had also protested the CBN's cashless policy, taking the Federal Government to the Supreme Court over the scarcity of cash.

Matawalle alleged that before the general election, there were plans to punish him, El-Rufai, and Ganduje for their opposition to the naira policy.

He said, "What's being said is that we went to court over the new naira notes redesign. They said myself, Ganduje and El-Rufai would be punished accordingly."

'Military officers were used to intimidate voters' – Metawalle

The governor further alleged that military officers were deployed to intimidate voters in all polling units during the election.

He claimed that three days before the election, over 300 military vehicles were sent to Zamfara State, only to be deployed during the election.

What you should know: The allegations made by the governor are yet to be independently verified.

How Zamfara voted: Matawalle, a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), lost to Dauda Lawal of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Matawalle's defeat followed the narrow escape of Uba Sani, an anointed candidate of El-Rufai, and the loss of Ganduje's candidate, Nasir Gawuna, to Abba Kabir Yusuf of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).