The Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Walid Jubrin, on Sunday clarified that his
comment on the controversial RUGA livestock policy should be seen as a position
of a Fulani leader, and not in the context of him being the chairman of the PDP
BoT.
Moreover, he said his party, the PDP, has not taken
any position on the controversial RUGA policy, therefore, he has not
controverted any position of his party.
Jubrin's position on RUGA has attracted
condemnations from the Ohaneze Ndigbo,
the Middle Belt Elders Forum, and the Pan- Yoruba Cultural Group, Afenifere.
While further reacting on the issue yesterday at a
press conference, the PDP leader said: "Firstly, Nigerians should realise that
I am a full-blooded Fulani man-the Sarkin Fulani of Nasarawa state-an elder
statesman and an industrialist. I have over two million Fulani people who look
up to me as their leader. I need to speak for them, and if I refuse to talk,
they can remove me as their leader.
"I am a founding member of the PDP, who rose
from a ward leader, local government leader, zonal leader, state leader to
become an ex-officio member. I became Deputy Financial Secretary, National
Financial Secretary, which made me a member of the National Working Committee
(NWC); a BoT member, BoT Secretary and now, a BoT chairman.
"Based on the above, I can make a personal
statement on any issue. My statement on RUGA was to my Fulani people as their
leader, the Sarkin Fulani, and it was purely a personal statement. It is not
connected with my position as BoT chairman or with the PDP as a party."
The PDP chieftain further stated: "I am an
ardent adherent of the official decisions of my party, which is yet to take a
stand on Ruga. I have never gone contrary to the decision of my party. I am a
respecter of the party's constitution."
On what actually informed his position on RUGA,
Jubrin said: "RUGA is not for APC
or PDP. The two parties accommodate Fulani and herdsmen. There is no need
drawing a line between APC Fulani and PDP Fulani. When we talk of Fulani, we
are one and the same. Anything that is good for the Fulani people is good for
me because I am their leader. But I will never support any Fulani involved in a conflict, killings, kidnapping and any other form of evil."
He explained that the controversial livestock
policy should not be seen as compulsory as it is optional for states.
"RUGA is not a compulsory scheme for all the
states in Nigeria. The southern states and even some northern states are not
parties to the scheme, and I support them. Those who don't want it should be left
alone. It is only a test programme for those states that want to adopt it. It
is a personal decision of the states, and no state should be forced to adopt it,"
the PDP leader said.
He cautioned against mixing national security issues
with politics, saying: "When we are
discussing security, we must not bring politics, religion or tribe into it in
order not to confuse matters. I am a Nigerian devoid of any intention to create
divisions."
On the level of preparations by his party for the
Bayelsa and Kogi States governorship elections, the PDP BoT chairman said the
National Working Committee (NWC) of the party is doing everything possible to
ensure that there is no impunity, godfatherism, and lawlessness.
According to him, "All our aspirants in the
two states must eschew bitterness so that we would produce the two governors
that we will be proud of, as he urged the screening committee to do a good job on
all the aspirants."
He added that the BoT is working closely with the NWC
to ensure that the right things are done.
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