The group criticised Atiku for recently accusing Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State of reinforcing tribal stereotypes.
The Coalition of Southern and Middle Belt Youth Leaders Assembly, COSMBYLA, has said the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar will be worse than President Muhammadu Buhari should he become Nigeria’s President in 2023.
COSMBYLA is the umbrella body of youth groups in the South-East, South-South, South-West and Middle Belt regions of the country.
The group criticised Atiku for recently accusing Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State of reinforcing tribal stereotypes by blaming Fulani people for the killings in his state.
During a presidential interactive session organised by Arewa Joint Committee in Kaduna last weekend, the former Vice President said he was “very angry with Governor Ortom for profiling Fulani as bandits and terrorists because he (Atiku) is also a Fulani person”.
But COSMBYLA, in a statement signed by Hon. Goodluck Ibem, President General, COSEYL; Shittu Waheed, Coordinator, SWYLF; Terrence Kuanum, Coordinator, Forum of Middle Belt Youth Presidents; and Tito Zokumor
President, SSYF, asked if Atiku was vying to be a president of Fulani people like Muhammad Buhari if elected in 2023.
The coalition noted that Atiku had yet to condemn the killing of more than 50 innocent people by armed herdsmen in Gbeji community, in the Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State, with many others injured and several persons displaced from their ancestral homes.
The group said, "Despite all this, the former vice president is more concerned about frivolities and blaming Governor Ortom and accusing him of profiling Fulani.
“What does he expect a governor who has not known peace since he took over the government in 2015 to do when Fulani killers have come out repeatedly to take responsibility for the attacks on Benue State?
“We want to ask Atiku what he would have done if given the gory circumstances that Governor Ortom has found himself in, having to bury hundreds of his people every year after they are hacked down by marauding Fulani herders. Is profiling more important than the lives of Nigerians?
“Atiku has furtively declared support for the Fulani Jihadists and terrorists parading as herdsmen who have made it a duty to be killing indigenous Nigerians on daily basis in Benue State, Ondo state, South East states and other parts of the country.”
It noted that it is “very unfortunate that a former Vice President of the country who should be a statesman and nationalistic in his statements,” should condescend so low to promote tribal and ethnic sentiments”.
According to the coalition, Atiku is “apparently seeking the opportunity to empower his tribe – the Fulanis to continue their onslaught against innocent Nigerians and the takeover of their ancestral lands. He will be worse than Buhari!”
The coalition further said, “Atiku should be called to explain to Nigerians what he knows about the killings by these merchants of deaths in human skin who have brought untold hardship to Nigerians. Atiku truly has questions to answer. He has never for once condemned the atrocities of his Fulani kinsmen.
“Atiku’s silence all these years that the killings by the Fulani terrorists and Jihadists have been going on, is tacit approval of their wicked and demonic operations in the country.
“It beats our imagination how a supposed statesman will be happy that an entire state of Benue is marked for extinction by his kinsmen because they refused to hand over their ancestral lands to them for open cattle grazing which is an outdated form of animal farming and practice.
“It is surprising that Atiku’s reason for being angry with Governor Ortom which he openly confessed is because the Governor has doggedly stood in defence of his people and has repeatedly spoken against the killings of his people by Fulani terrorists and Jihadists.
“Ortom’s strong and fierce defence in ensuring that his people are not wiped out of the face of the earth by Fulani terrorists finally confirmed that the man who is privileged to be the holder of the title “Zege Mule u Tiv” is not really the shade under which the Tiv people can seek refuge.
“We condemn Atiku’s comments against the Benue State Governor and demand that he publicly apologises to Governor Ortom, Benue people and all other Nigerians for his insensitivity and selfishness.
“While we await Atiku’s apology, we call on the Executive Governor of Benue State to remain firm in ensuring that Benue people are protected from attacks by Fulani terrorists and Jihadists. He should not be discouraged by the unfortunate and reckless statements of Atiku.
“In 2023, we the voters in this country will speak to all the presidential candidates in the language they will understand, depending on what each of them represents.”