Matawalle faces stiff opposition as PDP’s Dauda Lawal gains ground
Bello Matawalle, the incumbent governor of Zamfara State, faces stiff opposition to his re-election bid, especially as his main challenger Dauda Lawal gets more popular with the indigenes.
Matawalle had risen to power through sheer luck and in-fighting between former governor Abdul’aziz Yari and Senator Kabiru Marafa.
A court verdict nullifying all the party’s candidates, based on a suit by Marafa against Yari, paved the way for Matawalle to become the governor.
Subsequently, Matawalle, who was originally of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
While in the PDP, Matawalle contested against Lawal, who was at the time the APC governorship candidate. Lawal, himself, later switched from the APC to the PDP.
Watchers believe the reconciliation between Yari and Marafa would boost Matawalle’s chances.
Importantly too, Matawalle has the power of incumbency, even though some incumbents have lost their re-elections in recent Nigeria’s democratic history.
At the same time, Lawal’s campaigns in the state has seen huge crowds, affirming his popularity, spread and influence. Having contested in 2019, the former banker and one of Reputation Poll’s 100 most influential Africans, is not novel to the turf. It is believed that Lawal might pull a surprise in a fair contest.
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