Insist colony is solution to herdsmen/farmers clash

 

Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday met behind closed-doors with seven northern governors at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The states helmsmen said they have no apology for endorsing President Buhari to run for the 2019 elections.

The governors are Abubakar Bello, Niger; Ibrahim Gaidam, Yobe; Yahaya Bello, Kogi; Abdullahi Ganduje, Kano; Nasir El-Rufai, Kaduna; Jibrilla Bindo Adamawa; and Simon Lalong, Plateau.

Addressing State House reporters later, Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-rufai, said they had no apology meeting the president over the 2019 presidential election.

While Ganduje said all seven of them met in the Villa coincidentally, El-Rufai, said those that chose to see the visit as relating to 2019 elections were right and there is no need to pretend about it.

When asked if the visit was for 2019 elections,

El-Rufai said: “We are politicians and those of us you see here want the President to contest  the 2019 election, we have no apologies for that. We believe in Mr. President we want him to continue running the country in the right direction. People can speculate about 2019, we have no apologies.”

Asked if those sensing the visit was for 2019 were right, the Kaduna governor said, “Whether they are right or wrong is besides the point. Everybody is entitled to its own opinion but as governors, and most of us here with the exception of Yobe Governor are first time governors. We are interested in the continuity and stability and we want the president to continue with that.

“Like our leader the governor of Kano said, we just happen to be here by coincidence and we went to pray and decided to felicitate with the President and we feel satisfied that anytime we see him, he is getting better and better.”

Ganduje on the best  best way forward on the  issue of Fulani herdsmen, said the idea of colony as proposed by the Federal Government was the way to go.

He said: “The President met with stakeholders from the affected states and I think a suggestion has been put forward by the Minister of Agriculture concerning the colony and I think eventually that is the answer.”