The APC Youth Leaders Network has disowned a recent protest demanding the probe of Bello Matawalle, minister of state for defence.

On Friday, members of the All Progressives Congress Young Leaders Alliance (APC-YLA) protested at the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Abuja, demanding the resumption of investigation into alleged corruption involving Matawalle when he served as governor of Zamfara state.

The group accused the EFCC of going silent on the case despite multiple petitions and earlier commitments to investigate the former Zamfara governor. 

Matawalle was governor of Zamfara from 2019 to 2023.

He lost his re-election bid in the 2023 elections and was later appointed minister of state for defence by President Bola Tinubu.

However, in a statement issued on Sunday, Olayemi Isaac, the convener of the APC Youth Leaders Network, claimed that the protest was sponsored by politicians in Zamfara. 

“Apparently, the recent events of a sponsored protest to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) by a compromised faction that claimed to be APC youths, demanding an investigation of Matawalle, should be seen as nothing short of an embarrassing attempt to spread falsehood for vendetta politics,” the statement reads.

“Indeed, these trying times call for an urgent need for Nigerians to circumspectly evaluate any spurious allegations flying around. 

“Nevertheless, our commitment to truth, justice, and the preservation of democratic integrity that the APC stands for remains undeterred.

“Let it be made clear: Minister Bello Matawalle is a respected patriot whose legacy and contributions to national security, particularly in the north-west, continue to uphold the visionary Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”

Isaac said rather than sponsor protests for political gains, politicians should focus on tackling the deteriorating security in the state.

“Daily news of banditry festers, communities being ransacked, lives being lost in thousands, and the cry of protection that was never answered,” he said.

Since leaving office as governor, there have been petitions against him over alleged corruption.

Despite the allegations, Matawalle has not been arraigned in court.