The National Democratic Congress (NDC), Zamfara State chapter, has condemned the recent attack on Bindin community in Maru local government area of the state, accusing Governor Dauda Lawal of abandoning the people in their moment of grief.
The party, under the leadership of Alhaji Surajo Garba Maikatako, in a statement Wednesday by its Publicity Secretary, Kassim Almustaoha Kayatawa, said it was dismayed that the governor was absent when the community was mourning gallant security personnel and innocent civilians killed in the attack.
According to the NDC, Governor Lawal chose to join a Federal Government delegation for a Nigeria-Ethiopia leadership exchange on nutrition policy in Addis Ababa, instead of being with his people.
“This decision is not only insensitive but also a betrayal of the trust reposed in him by the electorate. During the 2023 election campaign, the governor promised to end banditry in Zamfara State. That promise has failed woefully,” the party said.
The NDC said leadership is defined by presence and empathy in times of crisis, not by photo opportunities abroad, and questioned how citizens could be convinced that the governor cares about them after abandoning them in their darkest hour.
The party said it was deeply troubled that at a time when people of Bindin were burying their loved ones, their governor was nowhere to be found, alleging a pattern of prioritising personal and political engagements over the safety and welfare of the people.
“The people of Zamfara are not just mourning the dead; they are mourning the death of a promise that was never fulfilled,” the statement added.
The NDC also faulted the Federal Government for approving Governor Lawal’s participation in the delegation while his state was under attack, describing it as insensitivity and a disconnect from realities on the ground.
The party said governance is about protecting lives and property, not protocol and foreign trips, and described the approval as an abdication of responsibility.
It said the security personnel who lost their lives in Bindin died as heroes and deserved a governor who would honour their sacrifice.
The NDC called on Governor Lawal to immediately return to the state and address the people, demanded that the Federal Government explain why it prioritised a foreign trip over citizens’ lives, and urged security agencies to bring perpetrators of the attack to justice.
It further urged Zamfara people to remain united and called on the international community to take note of the deteriorating security situation in the state.
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