You may never rule Nigeria again — Miyetti Allah tells South
He said the North may never trust the South again.
The National Secretary of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Saleh Alhassan, has said the South won't get the Presidency it craves if it thinks banning open grazing would work in their favor.
Alhassan who stated this in an interview with Saturday Tribune, said the resolution reached by the Southern governors will leave Fulani herders exposed with nowhere to go since there's no alternative provision for them.
This kind of situation according to him, will undoubtedly turn the North against the South, thereby squashing whatever hope they have as far as ruling the country is concerned.
He said: “They (the Southern governors) are hungry for power. Why are they making open grazing an issue? Is it the only problem in the country? They may not even get the power.”
Alhassan said herdsmen could not leave because the Southern governors did not make any alternative arrangements before slamming a deadline on open grazing.
“Fulani herdsmen cannot move to anywhere. The Southern governors have not made any alternative (provision) for them. You cannot just drive away an economic group,” Alhassan said.
He stated that the outcome of the Southern governors’ meeting might be to heat up the polity, saying, “It is like they had some feelers.”
Alhassan said herders were not concerned about where presidency is zoned to in 2023 but warned the Southern governors against blackmailing the North to get the presidency, saying that such might be counterproductive.
“For herders, it doesn’t matter where the president comes from but if they want power to move to the South, should it be through blackmail? It should be by negotiation, campaign and strategy as well as political understanding. And mind you, this thing is based on numerical strength.
“If they (Southern governors) want to blackmail the North, they may not get the presidency. They are only hungry for power with the direction they are going,” he said.
He advised those interested in vying for the presidency to start building their campaign structures instead of resorting to blackmail.
He said: “Let them begin to build structures, come out and campaign. “Is there any serious Igbo man that wants to be president? Have you seen any? It is not that people will just carry power and give you, you must work for it by building structures.
“So, if Tinubu wins the APC primary tomorrow, it is because he has built the structure and we will vote for him. Is he not a Southerner?”
