Without Peace In Benue, There May Be No Elections In 2019, Bafarawa Cautions

FORMER governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa, has warned that there may be no elections in the country next year, the if the Federal Government fails to restore peace to Benue and other parts of Nigeria. Bafarawa, who made the declaration yesterday when he visited to Governor Samuel Ortom at Government House, Makurdi to commiserate with him over the killings of 73 persons by Fulani herdsmen. He said the Benue people produced great individuals, who had foresight and had played active roles in uniting the northerners, as well as the entire country when it was faced with serious crisis. According to Bafarawa, there could be no north without Benue being a part of the north, noting that Benue laid the foundation for building northern region and their contributions are still speaking volumes. “Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbe and Senator Barnabas Gemade got the positions of National Chairman of the former ruling People Democratic Party (PDP), because they were from the north and the slot was meant for the northern part of the country. “I am not here for political purposes but to console my brother, however I must put the records straight,” he stated. Bafarawa pointed out that the killings in Benue were politically motivated, a situation, he said, needed political approach to resolve as opposed to traditional solutions. According to him, the issue of herdsmen and farmers’ clashes in the country was a serious national problem, stressing that it had gone passed where people would continue to be blaming either governors or the President. He said that while it was Federal Government’s duty to restore peace to Benue and parts of the country, President Muhammadu Buhari must involve other stakeholders, irrespective of their political differences to come together and resolve the problem.