Yerima Shettima reacts as Gov Lawal allegedly meets Tinubu,tells him to remove Matawalle as Minister

Alhaji Yerima Shettima, former President-General of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), convener of the Northern Stakeholders Consultative Initiative (NSCI), and a Kaduna Central senatorial aspirant for 2027, during an interview with The Sun correspondent, dismissed calls for the removal of the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle.

When he was asked if he had any knowledge of claims suggesting that Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State allegedly met President Bola Tinubu abroad, reportedly insisting that Matawalle be removed as a condition for his own possible defection to the APC.

He said, “To be honest, that is absurd. The Tinubu I know would never fall into such a trap. It is frankly foolish to imagine that he would sack Matawalle on that basis. As we speak today, in the entire North-West, there is no one who has stood by President Tinubu, fought for him, and is willing to stake everything for him more than Bello Matawalle.”

He warned that removing Matawalle at this stage could create a vacuum that opponents are eager to exploit, particularly with elections drawing near.

According to The Sun, he said those advocating for the minister’s removal should examine their own records, describing them as adversaries of the government whose goal is to weaken the President’s influence in the North-West and, ultimately, undermine his political standing.

According to him, President Tinubu is far too experienced and astute to be pressured into actions he knows would be wrong, and this, he said, is why such schemes have not succeeded.

He affirmed unwavering support for Matawalle, dismissing the ongoing allegations and propaganda as motivated by fear. That fear, he explained, stems from Matawalle’s rising popularity and the possibility that he could, if he chose, resign and contest a governorship election, a scenario some find threatening.

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