A group, known as The Observatory, has said a former Governor of Zamfara state, Senator Abdul’aziz Yari is under several attacks because of his support for President Bola Tinubu’s second term bid.
The group made the claim in a statement signed by its Director of Public Affairs, Ahmed Amidu.
According to the group, Yari who is a serving senator is a man of influence and a bridge-builder whose network of political connections and contacts cannot be easily rivaled.
The Observatory, added that his influence has attracted envy which has made him a target of malicious allegations.
The group’s spokesperson said allegations of sponsorship of banditry, crime levelled against Yari were fruitless because they were untrue even as he queried who was afraid of the Senator.
Amidu said, “Yari is at the forefront of those who genuinely support the president’s agenda. His loyalty to the president is an asset both for him and Tinubu. But those who do not like Yari do not want that relationship to thrive.
“They are not succeeding because the president himself is a smart player who knows how to navigate political landmines. He perfectly understands the fact that Yari is just being blackmailed by detractors.
“As a frontline senator, Yari enjoys a robust relationship with President Bola Tinubu. In fact, he is a great pillar of support for Tinubu. This is especially so now that the greater part of the North does not feel comfortable with the president’s second term bid.
“The president needs committed northerners who will help him to navigate the rough terrain that he needs to conquer in order to have back the support of the north for his presidency.
“Since success always attracts envy, Yari has become the target of envious individuals who feel that they need to stop him in his tracks if they must make progress. Such individuals feel, rather erroneously, that Yari is their problem. As a man with a large heart, he is not bothered by those distractions. But his traducers are not relenting.
“They have resorted to all manner of blackmail in order to diminish the political stature of Yari or even bring him down completely. That explains the allegations that he faces at moment. Those who are not comfortable with his soaring political profile want to put him in check. Their evil plots have been manifesting in various ways lately.”
Amidu said Yari was recently associated with gold bars worth about N4 billion seized by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano.
“The gold bars were allegedly being transported to Saudi Arabia. Senator Yari has vehemently denied knowing anything about the gold bars. And the EFCC, since the seizure of the gold, has not had any reason to link the Senator with the gold haul. Regardless of this, Yari’s detractors have continued to dig in. They want the public to believe the lie that Yari has something to do with the gold.
“Before the issue of the gold bars came into limelight, Senator Yari was being accused by his traducers of sponsoring banditry and terrorism in his state. None of these allegations has been able to hold water because Yari is not guilty of any. These are allegations made for the sake of blackmail.
“What we have is a case of trying to give a dog a bad name in order to hang it. Obviously, somebody is afraid of Yari’s towering political stature. Somebody is certainly not comfortable with his closeness to men of power and influence. Under the present political arrangement, Yari is a prominent player who must be taken into consideration whenever critical political decisions are being made”, he said.
According to Amidu, Yari attained the enviable height he enjoys today simply because he had the opportunity of presiding over at Zamfara Government House in Gusau for eight uninterrupted years as governor.
He said the Senator occupies a pride of place in the Nigerian political arena because he understands the importance of living beyond the moment, adding that since leaving office, Yari has left no one in doubt that he knows how to manage the vagaries of the Nigerian political climate.
