A Kano High Court has issued a restraining order against the Governor of Zamfara, Dauda Lawal, and his associates, preventing them from engaging in a smear campaign against Alhaji Bello Muhammed Matawalle.
The court also restrained the Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector-General of Police, the Zamfara State Government, the Attorney General of the Federation, Vision Media Services Ltd, Vision FM, Farin Wata TV, Liberty Radio and TV, Shuaibu Mungadi, and Tijjani Ramalan from taking any adverse actions against Alhaji Masuda Abdulkadir.
Yusuf Idris Gusau, Publicity Secretary, Zamfara State All Progressives Congress (APC) noted that Governor Dauda Lawal had recently made media appearances attempting to tarnish Matawalle’s reputation by associating him with banditry and corruption allegations without substantiating evidence.
Gusau said all these are calculated desperate attempts by Governor Dauda Lawal to discredit Matawalle before President Bola Ahmed Tinubu due to his rising political profile in Zamfara and Nigeria in general, and also to block his re-appointment as a Minister since the news of imminent cabinet reshuffle.
The Publicity Secretary said Governor Lawal or his proxies’ campaign against Matawalle is not acceptable and befitting of his status in trying to run down his own brother who is 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.
“Going by the Order of Interim Injunction, all the respondents and Security Agencies either by 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 restraining order on the 6th ( Vision Media Services Ltd) and the 11th ( Tijjani Ramalan) respondents respectively, their Officers Staffs, agents, servants, employees, aides, 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.”
