A group under the auspices of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Northwest Alliance for Good Governance (NWAGG) has called on faceless individuals spreading aspersions and engaging in a campaign of calumny against the Minister of Defence, Alhaji Muhammad Badaru Abubakar.
The group asserts that his genuine efforts in combating insecurity in the North are yielding positive results, which have also been acknowledged by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
In their statement, the group urged the people of the North to commend President Tinubu for appointing two northerners as ministers of defence and to rally around them with prayers to ensure the security of the region and eliminate armed banditry.
The secretary and spokesperson for the group, Comrade Auwal Shuaibu Gumel, made this known in a statement signed and made available to the press on Tuesday, shortly after a stakeholders’ quarterly meeting held in Kano.
According to him, “The group was reacting to a malicious report circulating in the media that is intended to impugn and malign the character and personality of the Honourable Minister of Defence, Alhaji Muhammad Badaru Abubakar.”
He further stated, “Let the North take a cue from other regions in the country that have solidly supported their appointed ministers, praying for them rather than engaging in a pull-him-down syndrome.”
Comrade Gumel expressed dismay at the “obnoxious and malignant report” by some faceless individuals under a shady group known as APC Solidarity Vanguard, which claimed that His Excellency Badaru Abubakar is working to undermine the APC and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Comrade Auwal Shuaibu Gumel, spokesperson for the APC Northwest Alliance for Good Governance (APC-NWAGG), raised pointed questions regarding the allegations against the Minister of Defence, Alhaji Muhammad Badaru Abubakar. “We want to ask these pertinent questions: who are the top opposition stakeholders from the North he is falsely claimed to have met?” he queried.
He emphasised that “for the avoidance of doubt, Badaru, in the buildup to the last presidential elections, mobilised smaller parties to endorse and vote for the APC. He also met with and convinced northerners residing in Lagos and the Southwest to support the APC and Asiwaju.”
The APC-NWAGG further stated, “He interceded between several Ulamas and religious bodies to support Asiwaju. How can such an individual become a liability to the APC?”
In response to claims that Badaru Abubakar has had an unimpressive tenure as Minister, Comrade Gumel stated, “It is not only laughable, but those making such baseless allegations are truly living in self-denial not to have recognised the tremendous successes of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration in terms of security under the Honourable Minister. Daily, top kidnapping and terror kingpins are being eliminated in the Northwest, and the Kaduna-Abuja road has been largely cleared of bandits. Only a few isolated cases remain, which will be addressed.”
Earlier, the coordinator of APC-NWAGG, Ambassador Abdullahi Dalhatu, commented on another claim made by the vanguard solidarity group. He noted, “The assertion that some northern leaders betrayed former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015 and that the same fate awaits President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is nothing more than a figment of their imagination.”
The spokesperson for the APC Northwest Alliance for Good Governance (APC-NWAGG) emphasised that “Alhaji Badaru Abubakar is among the ministers diligently advancing the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.” He noted, “He has worked tirelessly for the success of this administration and has taken ownership of its achievements. Why would he turn around to destroy what he helped establish?”
The APC-NWAGG urged the public and stakeholders to disregard the malicious reports, describing them as the handiwork of detractors and enemies of the nation who are unhappy with the significant progress made by the ministry in combating insecurity.
Furthermore, the spokesperson stated, “In their quest to undermine him, these individuals have engaged faceless or unscrupulous persons who are not even residents or indigenes of Jigawa State. Badaru’s legacy as governor of Jigawa is aligned with common sense and good governance.”
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