Tinubu’s ministerial nominiee: Profile of Bello Matawalle

Bello Muhammad, popularly known as Bello Matawalle, is a Nigerian politician and teacher who served as the governor of Zamfara State from 2019 to 2023. He was born on February 12, 1969, in Maradun, which was then part of the North-Western State.

Education: Bello Matawalle obtained his First School Leaving Certificate from Maradun Township Primary School in 1979. He went on to graduate from VTC Bunza in 1984. He furthered his education at Yaba College of Technology in Lagos and later attended Thames Valley University in London.

Political Career: Before venturing into politics, Bello Matawalle worked as a teacher at Government Girls College Moriki and Kwatarkoshi. He later joined the Federal Ministry of Water Resources before making his first foray into politics in 1998. He ran for a seat in the House of Assembly and won under the defunct United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP). After the death of Sani Abacha in 1998, the political parties were dissolved, and elections were scheduled for 1999.

Between 1999 and 2003, he served as the Zamfara State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Commissioner for Environment, Rural Development, and Commissioner for Youth and Sports.

Bello Matawalle was elected into the House of Representatives in May 2003, representing Bakura/Maradun, on the platform of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP). He was re-elected in 2007 on the ANPP platform before defecting to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and winning re-election for a third term in 2011.

Governorship: In the 2019 governorship election in Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle contested on the platform of the PDP and emerged as the gubernatorial nominee. However, after a Supreme Court ruling disqualified the original winner, he was declared the governor and assumed office on May 29, 2019.

Defection to APC: On June 29, 2021, Bello Matawalle officially defected from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC) during a rally in Gusau. Alongside him, all three Zamfara Senators, six of seven Representatives, and all 24 House of Assembly members also switched to the APC. He was appointed as the Zamfara APC Leader by the Yobe State Governor and APC Caretaker Chairman, Mai Mala Buni.

Personal Life: Bello Matawalle is married to four wives and has children.