Former Zamfara state governor, Senator Ahmed Sani Yerima has said that the present PDP governor of the state is aware that he was exercising a mandate not freely given to him by the people, but by the Supreme Court.
Yerima also said that he had no regret introducing the Sharia legal system in his state as governor to the state in 1999, adding that the agitation for the Islamic legal system did not start during his government.
Speaking on Friday in an interview with newsmen in Abuja, Yerima said governor Matawalle was his commissioner for eight years and knows the platform that brought him to limelight.
He dismissed speculations that he had an agreement with the governor to return to the APC after becoming the governor, adding neither himself or the national leadership of the APC had any such agreement with the governor.
He said “first, there was no agreement between us. What I said earlier was that he was my Commissioner for eight years. There was never a time when either me or the national leadership of the party had any understanding with him to go and win and then come to APC.
“As a politician, I said the current governor know the structure that brought him to limelight, becoming a commissioner and a member of the House of Representatives, paving the way for people to know him properly and he also know that it is the Supreme Court and not the electorates that gave him that position by the grace of God. So, he will not joke.
“If he wants a second term in office, he knows exactly what to do. As a politician, if he wants to find it easy, he knows what to do. That is all I am saying.”
Senator Yerima who was the first governor to introduce the sharia legal system in the country said the introduction has done alot of good to the state and several other states that introduced sharia.
He said the introduction of sharia into the state created a reorientation and reshaped the state, adding that today, there was nowhere in the state where brothels can be found.
The former governor said it was unfortunate that several people misunderstood the concept of the sharia legal system, believing that it all had to do with cutting of hands and punishing people without looking on the bright side.
Speaking on the security threats posed by the constant intrusion of the Shiite Islamic fundamentalists and protests, Senator Yerima said the issue of the Shiites bothers on national security.
“It is not about religious group. I don’t think that anybody or group can be greater than the country. If the government realise that a group is posing as a security threat, I am sure they have the machineries to handle them.
“I do not think that the strike issue can pose any threat to this country. As long as the security agents are doing their work, I am sure that the menace of any group can be handled.”
