Resign Now for Lack of Competence, House Member Tells Jigawa Gov …You are suffering from election defeat, Badaru fires back

National Assembly member representing Gumel, Gagarawa, Maigatari and Sule Tankarkar federal constituency in Jigawa State, Sani Zorro, on Monday called for the resignation of the state Governor, Muhammadu Badaru Abubakar, for lack of alleged competence to manage security situation in the state.

But in a swift reaction, the state government has dismissed Zorro's call, describing the lawmaker as one who is still suffering from recent election defeat.

Zorro, who cited prevailing invasion of the state by bandits and killing of innocent villagers in the state, insisted that the governor lacked the competence to nip the criminal activities in Jigawa in the bud.

The lawmaker, who is a former President of Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), told journalists in Kano at the weekend that Badaru has traveled to China for 14 times in three years on personal businesses instead of focusing on the social economic business and governance in the state.

He alleged that Badaru had invited Chinese companies which are his business partners to forceful take over farm lands in the name of industrialisation.

According to Zorro, “Badaru gave out over 20,000 hectares of lands to a Chinese company without compensation of the lands. And when people complained or rejected the stipend called compensation, they jailed them.

"Badaru has spent more time in China for his personal businesses than he did for Jigawa State business. He has traveled to China for 14 times in three years. He brought Chinese companies to the state to impoverish the people more."

Zorro alleged that the worsening security situation in Zamfara State started as a result of negligence, calling for urgent action from Jigawa State Government before the bandits take over the state.

"This was how Zamfara State governor neglect his primary responsibility for the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) in Abuja. He spends more time in Abuja more than he does in Zamfara State while bandits took over his state.

"Now it has gone out of control, and we don't want Jigawa State to get to that level. Governor Badaru spends more time outside the state now ignoring bandits’ attack in some village. We want him to resign now before it is too late," he stated.

Meanwhile, the Jigawa State Government has dismissed Zorro's call, describing it as the aftermath of losing election.

The state government also described the lawmaker as "a frustrated mind that have suffered defeat and total rejection from his constituency due to lack of performance at the House of Representatives."

The Special Adviser to the governor on Political Matters, Alhaji Yahya Muhammad, insisted that "Zoro should not be taken seriously because he has lost touch with the realities of recent political events in the state."

However, Muhammad disclosed that "the farms said to be allocated to Chinese was nothing but a baseless lies. Jigawa State Government only engaged one Lee who has been in Nigeria almost all his life. He is a renowned farmer in partnership with the government and people of the state."