Indigenes of Benue state under the aegis of Tiv Area Traditional Council have vowed to vote President Muhammad Buhari out of Aso Rock come the 2019 Presidential elections.
Speaking on Tuesday, the legal adviser of TATC, Chief Edward Ashiekaa, said the group rejected the decision of the Federal Government to set up cattle colonies across the country.
Ashiekaa said, “Of course, Buhari is a Fulani man, he has cattle. But if he loves his political future, he should tackle this matter and bring a solution once and for all because Benue state voted massively for him (in 2015); now, if he contests again (in 2019) and vote is cast, he will get zero vote from Benue State.
“The law has come into being, it has prohibited open-grazing and every citizen must obey this law. The law has also protected cattle owners by prohibiting cattle rustling and providing stiff penalties. The cattle herders are bent on disobeying these laws.
“The international community has to come into it. We are going to the Embassies, United Nations and even the International Criminal Court to ventilate our grievances. We are taking bold steps to inform the world that we are law abiding citizens. We have no capacity to fight the Fulani herdsmen; knowing the type of sophisticated weapons they have, our rural people cannot fight them. We want to win this war at the battle front, we don’t have the capacity to do that. We will win it at the international level and at the federal level.”
On the Federal Government’s plan to set up a law establishing cattle colonies, the pressure group said it would fight such a legislation up to the highest national and international court levels.
“The Federal Government has no right to enact the law nullifying the law which has been enacted by the Benue state government. Under the constitution, they don’t have the right. As of now the Benue state government has enacted laws prohibiting open grazing. If you bring the aspect of cattle colony and it fits into our definition of ranching, we will accept it. But as of now there is no definition of cattle colony.
“Miyetti Allah has come out severally to say they will disobey the law; they don’t recognise the law, the law is against their interest, so they will not obey it. Have you ever heard of such a thing in this country? The issue is whether or not the Benue State House of Assembly as a legislature has a right to enact the law that it did.”