From Maiharaji Altine, Gusau
Barely a day after the visit of the APC Progressive Governors forum to Zamfara State to commensurate with the Government and people of the state over the Tudun Wada fire inferno, their counterparts of the PDP have also paid similar visit where they doled out the sum of N100m to the victims of the disaster.
Recalled that the APC Governors also led by the Chairman of the APC Governor’s Forum and Governor of Kebbi state, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku Bagudo in company of the National Chairman of the party who were in the state for a similar visit where they donated N50m to the victims of the fire.
Political analysts were of the view that, the visit of the APC and PDP Governors to Zamfara state might be connected to speculations that, Governor Matawalle is planning to dump PDP and join the APC.
Speaking on behalf of the six PDP Governors, the leader of the delegation and Governor of Sokoto State, Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal said they were in the state to sympathize with the government and people of the state, describing the inferno as a decree from Allah which had to take place at the time it occured.
He said, the visit was arranged since when the incident happened but due to unprevailing circumstances, they were not able to come.
Tambuwal said, as PDP Governors, they were in Zamfara as owners of the state to commiserate over the incident cautioning that “the incident should not be politicized”.
He noted that when people of the state were being killed under the previous government, they did not play politics with the situation and that as genuine friends and brothers who will stand by Matawalle under rain or shine, they have genuinely come to share in the grief caused by the fire on the traders in particular and people of the state.
The six Governors promised to continue to work with their brother (Matawalle) at all times and then he announced a donation of N100 million to the fire victims.
In his speech, , the Governor of Rivers state, Nyeson Wike said “I can’t understand a party which declared Zamfara a no fly zone is coming to woe the Governor.
,Wike urged the people of the state to shine their eyes, stressing that “God who made Matawalle to be the Governor has not abandoned him”.
He advised Governor Matawalle not lose sleep because of insecurity, adding that, the situation has been in existence even before Matawalle took over the affairs of the state.
“The insecurity problem started before he became the Governor, so, no body can come and use insecurity to intimidate him”.
Wike described the N50m donated by APC to the victims of the fire incident as a Greek gift, urging Governor Matawalle not to receive the opposition again.
Responding, Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle expressed happiness with the visit by the PDP Governors which he also described as timely following the Gusau market incident.
Matawalle noted how close he is with Aminu Tambuwal with whom he has a long history dating back to their times at the House of Representatives.
Matawalle maintained that 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”.
The other visiting Governors who were in the state include, Seyi Makinde of Oyo, Nyeson Wike of Rivers, Bala Mohammed of Bauchi, Darius Ishaku of Taraba and Ahmad Umar Fintiri of Adamawa.
