[1][2] After briefly serving in the Abacha-era state house of assembly and serving as a state commissioner from 1999 to 2003 in the Ahmad Sani Yerima administration in the Fourth Republic, he first won an elected office in 2003 as a member of the House of Representatives for Bakura/Maradun and retained the office until 2015 first as a member of the All Nigeria Peoples Party before switching to the People's Democratic Party in 2011.
Four years after losing his Bakura/Maradun Constituency seat in 2015, Matawalle became the 2019 PDP gubernatorial nominee and won the office after a Supreme Court ruling disqualified the original winner.
Matawalle's first shot in politics was in 1998 when he ran for a house of assembly seat and won after he left the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Abuja, joining the defunct United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP) which consisted of politicians such as Ambassador Isa Aliyu Mohammed Argungu (Sarkin Yakin Kabbi) former Minister of Water Resources and National Chairman of the party, Ibrahim Gusau former pro tem National Chairman of the party, Atiku Abubakar, Abdullahi Aliyu Sumaila, Attahiru Bafarawa, Adamu Aliero, Suleiman Takuma, Ibrahim Kura Mohammed, Ibrahim Saminu Turaki and Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya but after the death of Sani Abacha, Nigerian Military Head of State on 8 June 1998, Abdulsalami Abubakar, his successor, dissolved the political parties and announced that elections would hold in 1999.
[5] In May 2023, shortly before Matawalle's term as governor concluded, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) announced an investigation into him for allegedly diverting N70 billion from the treasury of the Zamfara State government.
EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale made this statement while addressing a group of protesters at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja, who were advocating for a renewed investigation into Matawalle.
The APC AKIDA Forum is appealing to the investigating Matawalle alleged mismanagement of public funds during his tenure as Governor for Zamfara State and his involvement in the famous arms deal scandal.
Matawalle purchased 34 brand new 2019 Model Hilux and distributed to the terrorists leaders like Ado Aleiru, Halilu Subububu and Bello Turji.