Bello Muhammad, widely recognized as Bello Matawalle, is a Nigerian politician and educator who was appointed by President Bola Tinubu to serve as the designated minister of defense. He held the governor’s office of Zamfara State from 2019 to 2023.
His initial elected role was as a representative in the House of Representatives for Bakura/Maradun in 2003. He maintained that role until 2015, starting as a member of the All Nigeria Peoples Party before transitioning to the People’s Democratic Party in 2011.
He had previously held a brief position in the state house of assembly during the Abacha tenure and acted as a state commissioner under the Ahmad Sani Yerima administration during the Fourth Republic from 1999 to 2003.
Matawalle became the PDP’s gubernatorial candidate for 2019, four years after losing his Bakura/Maradun Constituency position in 2015. He ultimately secured the role after a Supreme Court ruling invalidated the previous winner. Following a defection rally in Gusau in 2021 with most of Zamfara State’s elected officials, he switched from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress.
Bello Early age and education
Bello Muhammad was born in Maradun, which was part of the North-Western State, on February 12, 1962, or 1969, depending on which date is accurate. He completed his education at Maradun Township Primary School in 1979, obtaining a First School Leaving Certificate. He graduated from VTC Bunza in 1984. Following this, he attended Yaba College of Technology in Lagos and furthered his studies at Thames Valley University in London.
Bello’s Political life
Before joining the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, he served as an instructor at the Government Girls Colleges in Moriki and Kwatarkoshi. After departing from the Federal Ministry of Water Resources in Abuja and aligning with the defunct United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP), which included prominent figures like Ambassador Isa Aliyu Mohammed Argungu (Sarkin Yakin Kabbi), a former Minister of Water Resources and National Chairman of the party, Matawalle made his initial foray into politics in 1998 when he successfully contested for a house of assembly position.
Between 1999 and 2003, he was the Zamfara State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, then the Commissioner for Environment and Rural Development, and ultimately the Commissioner for Youth and Sports.
In May 2003, Matawalle was elected to the House of Representatives by his Bakura/Maradun constituents, who supported the then-newly defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).
He was re-elected in 2007 on the ANPP platform, but subsequently switched to the PDP, being elected to a third term in 2011 under that banner.
In the March elections, Muktar Idris, the APC candidate, garnered 534,541 votes compared to Matawalle’s 189,452 votes.
The INEC initially awarded the certificate of return to Muktar Idris, yet the court of appeal in Sokoto mandated its retraction.
Subsequently, the Supreme Court ruled that the votes cast for the APC during the election were invalid, directing that the runner-up be inaugurated on Wednesday. This was due to the fact that all of the candidates in Zamfara State’s primary elections were not conducted by the APC.
Personal life
Matawalle is married to four wives and has multiple children.
