Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria yet to decide on either Buhari or Atiku

FULANI herdsmen body the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (Macban) has said it will soon decide who to endorse for next year's presidential elections out of former vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and President Muhammadu Buhari.

In February, Nigeria goes to the polls in what is looking like a two-horse race between President Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Alhaji Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Macban national president Alhaji Bello Abdullahi Bodejo, said that both candidates are Fulani, so both will be under consideration but Macban members will vote for whoever means best for the nation.

Alhaji Bodejo added: “We have ensured that our members are massively registered in the elections and should exercise their franchise in peaceful manner wherever they would cast their votes. We expect our members to fully turn out to cast their votes and are happy that the stereotyping of Fulani herdsmen has gone down due to the fact that the two perceived leading presidential candidates are Fulanis.

“The polity has benefitted from this development as we now have campaigns being issues-based and not on ethnicity, religion or other primordial sentiments, which we believe is healthy for the nation. On who we are going to support, we are still weighing what the two perceived leading candidates would bring to the table, what they have in stock for the pastoralists that are facing numerous challenges across the country and when we finish our assessment, we will invite the world to know our direction."

He added that for now, Macban is asking its members to get ready with their permanent voters cards (PVC) and see what the association can negotiate best for them, especially with regards to their economic livelihood. Alhaji Bodejo stressed that Macban would look at the agenda that the two or any of the presidential candidates have for its members.