PDP, APC Trade Words in Zamfara as Tinubu Orders Matawalle to Kebbi Over Students’ Abduction

The Zamfara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDPhttps://opitanglobalmedia.com/obi-faults-federal-government-over-nnamdi/) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) are locked in a fresh war of words following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive to the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to relocate to Kebbi State and coordinate efforts to rescue abducted schoolgirls.

President Tinubu reportedly cancelled a planned foreign trip after the kidnapping of students of Government Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State, directing Matawalle, a former governor of Zamfara, to move to Birnin Kebbi and oversee security operations. While the APC hailed the move as a sign of seriousness and leadership, the PDP in Zamfara dismissed it as political theatre and evidence of deeper failures in the ruling party’s handling of insecurity.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the PDP Publicity Secretary in Zamfara, Alhaji Haliru Andi, described the President’s directive as “nothing but an empty drama designed to mislead Nigerians,” insisting that the APC-led Federal Government has failed to protect lives across the country.

PDP Accuses APC of Failure, Questions Matawalle’s Capacity

The Zamfara PDP said the decision to send Matawalle to Kebbi highlighted, rather than solved, the government’s inability to tackle the insecurity ravaging many parts of Nigeria. Andi said the directive came at a time when attacks were still being recorded even in the minister’s hometown, which he argued was proof that Matawalle lacked the competence to handle national security responsibilities.

“Even today, attacks persist in his own hometown, proving he lacks the competence and credibility to handle national security issues,” Andi was quoted as saying. He added that the APC government “has completely failed Nigeria,” pointing to recent violent incidents across different states.

The PDP spokesman referenced the brutal attack on a church in Kwara State, the abduction of students in Kebbi, the killing of General Uba in Borno, as well as “countless killings and kidnappings across the country” as evidence that the ruling party lacks “strategy, capacity, and sincerity” in the fight against insecurity. According to him, Nigeria requires “serious leadership, not political theatrics,” and he urged the APC to “stop playing with the lives of citizens.”

The statement, issued under the leadership of the state PDP chairman, Jamil Jibo, expressed “deep outrage” over the directive, accusing the Federal Government of using security crises as a stage for political optics rather than concrete action.

APC Hits Back, Describes PDP’s Position as “Sheer Madness”

In a swift reaction, the Zamfara State APC chapter condemned the PDP’s statement, describing it as an attempt to undermine national security efforts. The APC Publicity Secretary in the state, Yusuf Idris, labelled the PDP’s comments as “sheer madness” and “an unpatriotic release which could be termed as felony.”

Idris expressed disappointment that instead of issuing a message of sympathy to the people and government of Kebbi State over the abduction of the schoolgirls, the PDP chose to criticise the President and question the directive to Matawalle. He accused the opposition party of trying to sabotage Federal Government plans to rescue the 24 abducted students of Government Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga.

The APC spokesman commended President Tinubu for cancelling his foreign trip, which he said was scheduled for a G20 summit in South Africa, in order to focus on the situation in Kebbi. According to Idris, this was the first time a Nigerian president would cancel a foreign engagement specifically because of a kidnapping incident involving students, which he argued showed Tinubu’s commitment to the safety of citizens.

He contrasted this with previous administrations, recalling that student abductions in Chibok, Dapchi, Jangebe, Kankara and Birnin Yauri occurred under earlier governments without similar cancellations of foreign engagements. Idris maintained that Tinubu’s response demonstrated that “every citizen’s life is very important” to the current administration.

Matawalle’s Record and Zamfara’s Security Politics

Beyond the immediate controversy, Idris defended Matawalle’s track record, insisting that as governor of Zamfara, he took “several efforts to destabilise the bandits and decimate their activities.” He accused the current PDP-led government in Zamfara of failing to rise to the challenge of insecurity despite being constitutionally responsible for the state’s security architecture.

According to the APC spokesman, Governor Dauda Lawal, as Chief Security Officer of Zamfara State, has allegedly “abandoned the people,” adding that there was “no justification” for the Zamfara PDP to constantly confront the Federal Government and the Minister of State for Defence without providing any workable solutions.

Idris further claimed that during Matawalle’s tenure as governor, he would visit or send delegations to sympathise with victims of bandit attacks and offer assistance, whereas he accused Governor Lawal of remaining distant and failing to even “send good words to calm the bereaved.”

He alleged that the Zamfara PDP had made several attempts to pressure President Tinubu into sacking Matawalle, but these efforts had failed. This, he argued, explains why the PDP was unhappy that the President entrusted Matawalle with coordinating rescue operations in Kebbi. “So when the PDP said they are not happy to see the President directing Matawalle to go and ensure the rescue of the 24 schoolgirls recently kidnapped from Kebbi State, one will wonder what the PDP actually wants,” Idris stated.

As both parties continue to trade accusations, the immediate concern for many Nigerians remains the safe return of the abducted students and a clear, effective strategy to address the wider security crisis that has affected communities across multiple states.