Aliyu Ango-Kagara, the minority leader of the Zamfara State House of Assembly, has delivered a scathing attack on Governor Dauda Lawal Dare, accusing him of dragging the state towards political collapse.
In a statementom Saturday, Kagara alleged that the governor has turned Zamfara into his personal empire, where opposition is crushed, the rule of law ignored, and state resources allegedly looted with impunity.
“Zamfara’s problem isn’t just insecurity,” Kagara declared.
“It’s Dauda Lawal’s arrogance, recklessness, and dictatorial attitude.”
He accused the governor of attempting to illegally arrest elected lawmakers, a move he described as a dangerous overreach of power.
“Is Dauda now the police boss, DSS director, or chief judge?” Kagara asked.
“He has no such authority, and the institutions should refuse to be tools of his witch-hunt.”
According to the former minority leader, the governor is trying to militarise Zamfara politics through the use of vigilante groups to intimidate critics.
“He believes Zamfara belongs to him.
“But anyone who obeys illegal orders against lawmakers will face legal consequences. This state is not a dictatorship,”Kagara said.
Turning to the issue of illegal mining, Kagara accused Dauda of hypocrisy and betrayal. Despite public pledges to resist negotiating with bandits, the governor allegedly brought in foreign interests through secret deals to exploit the state’s mineral wealth.
“He claimed to fight banditry but profits from the same insecurity.He’s enriching himself off the chaos.”
Kagara also levelled fresh allegations of nepotism and inflated contracts, claiming the governor is funnelling lucrative deals to friends and family members in exchange for kickbacks. One alleged associate, he said, is Abdul Ganiyu — described as a key frontman.
“Every project is overpriced. Dauda runs Zamfara like a private company, with his cronies forming a looting committee,” Kagara alleged.
He stressed that his criticisms are not driven by personal interest, but by the need to hold power to account.
“We want nothing from him .But we won’t stop exposing his lies. Zamfara is worse under Dauda: more insecurity, more corruption, more division.”
The former lawmaker urged the people of Zamfara to rise and reclaim their state from what he called a regime of fear, fraud, and failure.