Executive Director, Patriots for Peace and Social Development Dr. Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, has accused opposition of sponsoring media trial against Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Bello Matawalle.
Shinkafi also called on the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), Nigeria Guild of Editors (NGE), Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and media ombudsman, National Media Complaint Commission, to investigate media report which claimed that court allowed suit to compel Federal Government to probe the former governor over banditry sponsorship allegation.
According to him, the report was misleading because it failed to mention the court and the judge that purportedly heard the matter.
“It was Professor Kabir Danladi who said that a case filed is not a case heard, and a case heard is not a case determined until the pronouncement of the court,” he said.
He described as unfortunate that the newspaper could be used for such “despicable media trial of this matter with its misleading headline which political opponents of the Honourable Minister of State for Defence capitalised on to spread fake news and falsehood against him in the discharge of his national duty.”
Dr. Shinkafi however disclosed that the defence headquarters and other security agencies are investigating the sponsors of banditry in the North West, and expressed the hope that the minister would be exonerated from the “obvious frivolous, spurious, unfounded and wide allegations by failed politicians who are intimidated by his rising profile as an outstanding minister of the Federal Republic and loyalist of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
The former National Secretary of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), accused Matawalle’s political opponents in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of sponsoring the report, “hoping he would be dropped in the proposed cabinet reshuffled by Mr. President on Independence Day.”
He stated that President Tinubu is aware of the political intrigues, “and will not sacrifice his outstanding minister for his opponents’ inordinate political ambition that stagnated the nation from 1999 to 2015 (when) PDP was in power.
“More importantly, Matawalle’s towering influence in Zamfara State politics is astonishing, hence the plot to pull him down by all means.
“It is time to stop media trial and propaganda against highly esteemed public office holders like Matawalle.”