Matawalle: High Court Bars Zamfara Gov, Others From Smear Campaign

A Kano High Court has restrained the Zamfara state Governor, Dauda Lawal, and his cohorts from a smear campaign against the State Minister for Defense, Bello Matawalle.

The court also granted a restraining order on the Nigeria Police Force, Inspector General of Police, Government of Zamfara State, Attorney General of the Federation, Zamfara state government, Vision Media Services Ltd, Vision FM, Farin Wata TV, Liberty Radio and TV, Shuaibu Mungadi, Tijjani Ramalan, and Alhaji Masuda Abdulkadir.

This is in a statement issued by Yusuf Idris Gusau, the Publicity Secretary of All Progressives Congress (APC), Zamfara state chapter.

The court order issued before Justice Usman Mallam Na’abba on September 23, 2024, also states that the restraining order stays pending the hearing and determination of the originating motion.

The statement alleged that Governor Dauda Lawal had been visiting media houses recently, trying to smear Matawalle’s character and good reputation by linking him with banditry and corruption charges without presenting proof.

“All these are calculated desperate attempts by Governor Dauda Lawal to discredit him before President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR due to his rising political profile in Zamfara and Nigeria.

“These are parts of the gimmicks of Governor Lawal Dauda, who has been a continuous guest to media houses to tarnish the image of the Honourable Minister of State for Defence and also to block his re-appointment as a Minister since the news of imminent cabinet reshuffle,” the statement said.

It further explained that the Zamfara governor and his proxies have been campaigning against Matawalle, adding that it is unacceptable and befitting of his status to try to run down his brother, a top government functionary.

“The public should be careful of deceitful information being spurned out by the Governor of Zamfara or his proxies and are advised to disregard such information as the Kano High Court has placed the matter in the right perspective”, the statement added.

“Going by order of Interim Injunction, all the respondents and Security Agencies, either themselves, agents, servants or proxies whatsoever called, are restrained from inviting, further inviting, arresting, detaining, arraigning, prosecuting the applicant, Alhaji Masuda Abdulkadir and bar the Governor of Zamfara State and his paid media agents from further smear campaign against Matawalle in respect of the matter, pending the hearing and determination of the Originating Motion.

“Furthermore, the High Court has also granted a restraining order on the 6th ( Vision Media Services Ltd) and the 11th (Tijjani Ramalan) respondents, respectively, their Officers Staff, agents, servants, employees, Aids, and or any person howsoever described acting on their behalf, instructions, instigation, and instance from making further instigation, airing, broadcasting, television, disseminating in whatever form any issue regarding the said Alhaji Bello Muhammed Matawalle as per the facts of the suit pending the hearing and determination of the substantive application before the court” the statement stated.