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Afenifere: Time For Buhari To Choose Between Being President Of Nigeria And Being Grand Patron Of Miyetti Allah

“Three months ago, we did say that the President is afflicted by conflict of interests as Grand Patron of Miyetti Allah and the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria," Afenifere said. “It is the affliction that has seen him now functioning as a Miiyetti Allah godfather at a time he should be presidential. We asked him and we are calling on him to make a choice between the two."

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The Pan Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, says the time has come for President Muhammadu Buhari to choose between being President of Nigeria and serving as Grand Patron of the Miyetti Allah, the association of Fulani herdsmen.

The group also urged Nigerians to vote out the President in 2019 to save the country from further destruction.

It gave the advice shortly after rising from its monthly General Assembly meeting, held in Akure, the Ondo state capital, at the private residence of its foremost national leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti.

After the meeting, Afenifere described the latest killings in Plateau State, which claimed the lives of more than 100 people, as "genocide".

Yinka Odunmakin, National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, who read the position of the group through a communiqué to journalists, said the killings portray Nigeria as as "barbaric entity".

Mr. Odunmakin observed that President Buhari was facing a conflict of interests, being President of the country as well as the Grand Patron of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association.

He said the time had come for Buhari to choose between ruling as President of Nigeria and serving as the grand patron of the Fulani herdsmen.

“After exhaustive deliberations on the state of the nation, the following communiqué was adopted:

“Plateau Genocide and President Buhari's conflict of Interest; meeting was devastated by the genocide that took place in Plateau State on Sunday in which over 200 deaths occurred by eyewitnesses accounts deaths but the police admitted 100.

“These wanton killings and official irresponsibility portray Nigeria as a barbaric entity and we, Yoruba people; are pained living in the same space with the bestial elements who kill innocent people in cruel manner.

“The images of little children killed mercilessly with open skulls make anyone with human blood flowing in his or her veins to shrink.

“We are further distressed that the response of President Buhari to the murder of hundreds of our citizens did not attract a word of sympathy or regret.

“It is very infuriating that the President's response and that of Miyetti Allah appeared to have been authored from the same laptop.

“The Chairman of North Central zone of Miyetti Allah, Danladi Ciroma said the attacks were retaliation for the loss of three hundred cows.

"Ciroma said 'These attacks are retaliatory ....Those who carried out the attacks must be on revenge mission ...Fulani herdsmen have lost over 300 cows in the last few weeks.....Since these cows were not found ,no one should expect peace in the areas. 

“President Buhari, who is also the Grand Patron of Miyetti Allah who described the Fulani herdsmen terror as ‘herdsmen/farmers clashes’ (a case of two fighting but dead bodies only on one side), also repeated the missing cows and even added another charge Miyetti Allah did not remember.

"According to information available to the Presidency about one hundred cattle had been rustled by a community in Plateau State, and some herdsmen were killed in the process.

“The State Governor, Simon Lalong had had invited the aggrieved groups and pleaded against further action ...Less than forty eight  hours later violence broke out (an euphemism for the word 'retaliation used by Miyetti Allah Chief).

“The President used the word 'thugs' thrice to describe protesting residents while admitting that human life was becoming 'increasingly cheap' under his watch without saying what he is doing to make it worthy or bring the herdsmen who have admitted killing people to book.

“He also repeated the blame game of 'desperate people' causing instability and chaos in furtherance of the vain attempt by the administration to divert attention from Fulani herdsmen responsible for the serial murders.

“Three months ago, we did say that the President is afflicted by conflict of interests as Grand Patron of Miyetti Allah and the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“It is the affliction that has seen him now functioning as a Miiyetti Allah godfather at a time he should be presidential.

“We asked him and we are calling on him to make a choice between the two.

“It is pointless at this stage making any demand on this incorrigible administration.

“We ask our people to have special prayers for the souls of all those killed and for God to have mercy on Nigeria in all our mosques on Friday 29th June in our churches on Sunday 1st of July and for him to see us through the last few months of this administration.

“Politically, Nigerians must now gird their loins and see the democratic uprooting of this administration as a task that must be done in 2019 so as to save the country from utter destruction.

“There is no land where the blood of the innocent is being shed daily like Nigeria that can make progress in any area of human endeavor. Enough is enough”, the communique read.

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