Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State has condemned the protest in London against President Muhammadu Buhari’s medical trip, describing it as an assault on the North. .
“As a Northerner, I condemn in strongest term how in the same manner of hatred, President Muhammadu Buhari was treated by so-called protesters that could not hide their disdain and hatred for the North,” he said.
“Their action, no matter their grievances, is uncivilized, highly irresponsible, unpatriotic and disrespectful to the person and office of the President and has demonstrated the growing hatred against anything North.
“The real motive and agenda of the so-called protest is not for Nigeria but to humiliate the President that is why the number of the protesters, considering the large number of Nigerians living in London, is so negligible as they could be easily counted.
“ For the North to survive and defend its interests, our leaders must have the courage to always speak out against such aggression and to protect Northern interests, the way our contemporaries in the South often do, even when there is no justification to do so.”
There are speculations that Matawalle may defect to the All Progressives Congress.
He hinted at this when visited by some governors elected on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party.
The visit of the PDP Governors to Zamfara State followed a similar visit by three APC governors -Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Badaru Abubakar (Jigawa) and Mai Mala Buni (Yobe), who also had a closed-door meeting with Matawalle.
While reacting to their solidarity visit, Matawalle said he was almost abandoned by the PDP governors, lamenting that, “a crying child abandoned by his mother is likely to take food from a street beggar.”
