Don’t heat up polity, Arewa youths tell Miyetti Allah

Arewa Youth for Peace and Security (AYPS) has told Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN) to focus on helping to stop the killings, rather than getting involved in partisan politics.

National president of AYPS, Salisu Magaji, in a statement yesterday in Abuja, expressed concern over a statement credited to Benue State chairman of MACBAN, Garus Galolo, threatening to force Senate President Bukola Saraki out of office.He noted that senators elected Saraki as their leader and only two-third of the lawmakers could remove him from office as stipulated by law.

“They should restrict themselves to the constitution of Miyetti Allah. Saraki is a Nigerian and he remains the president of the senate as elected by the senators,” he said. Magaji wondered if the association has become a political group to be talking about forcing Saraki out of office.

“Do they not know he was elected as the senate president by senators, and that only two-third of the entire senators can remove him from office as stipulated by the constitution of Nigeria?

“We would like to think that this chairman of Miyetti Allah in Benue does not understand the rudiments and essence of politics.“So, let him concentrate on how to stop the killings in Benue and desist, henceforth, from talking about politics because Miyetti Allah is not a political group. He should desist from heating up an already fragile polity. Our laws are clear on how to remove a sitting senate president.

However, the national secretary of MACBAN, Baba Ngelzarma, had in a statement urged the public to disregard Galolo’s position, saying that he spoke in personal capacity and had no mandate to speak on behalf of the association.

Ngelzarma stated: “Miyetti Allah is a non-partisan association with no interest in the political terrain and we couldn’t meddle into the affairs of political actors, thereby compounding our challenges.

“I, therefore, urge all and sundry to disregard this statement. This statement is not from MACBAN and should be disregarded in its entirety.’’“We take exception to this statement and Garos Gololo is entirely on his own and will be sanctioned accordingly. We cannot afford to add to the many challenges we are confronted with.”