The 2023 general elections may have come and gone, but what will not be forgotten easily is the role played by the Nasarawa state-based Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore in the victory of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Amidst expectations, the presidential election was actually a three-horse race even as there were surprises with states which should have won their traditional strongholds being left with mouths agape as the results were being announced by the electoral umpire, the Independent National electoral Commission (INEC).
In Nassawa state, the home of the APC national chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, and the now re-elected governor, Engr. Sule Abdullahi, there was a major surprise as a new entrant, the Labour Party (LP), beat every other party to clinch the first position. The party, which had Peter Obi as its presidential candidate, by that result surprised even its ardent followers, the now famous Obidients.
While some observers claimed that they had seen it coming, given, according to them, early signals to that effect, others said they were taken aback by the manner Nasarawa-west senatorial district was taken away by someone without a giant personality profile who had run on the platform of the Social democratic Party (SDP).
Really, stakeholders of the governing APC across the state did try their best possible, according to some of them, Karu local government area which presents one of the most populated areas, with an admixture of ethnic nationalities, became a significant reference point going by the results obtained from the area.
While most voters here cut across party lines, it is common to refer to this area as a stronghold of the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore political storms store as it hosts the national headquarters of the Fulani socio-cultural group led by its national president, Alhaji Abdullahi Bello Bodejo, whose influence on his people across the states ensures that the APC remained steadfast till after the elections.
Alhaji Bodejo believes that it is the over five hundred thousand votes of his members coupled with other hard core supporters and well-wishers of the Ahmed Bola Tinubu Presidency that had kept the flag high up in most states which the party won. According to him, the association did what it could with a sense of responsibility to mobilise the voters because even before the elections, Miyetti Allah had declared its stand across the states that it had just one candidate for the presidency which, of course, is the eventual winner of the election, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu.
It would be interesting to note that Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore had vowed to work with the candidacy of Tinubu when it held its annual conference in Abuja; a symposium which brought together Fulani intellectuals to seek and find-tune the general interest of the Fulani all over the country.
So far, the effort has manifested in the outcomes of the elections; His Excellency, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the incumbent governor of Kano state, gave out 50 hectares of land for the pilot scheme of the ranching programme for the Fulani herders to get grants to pursue their trades.
As complex as Nigeria is, it is good that our national institutions reflect the diversity of our nation. The focus on ethnic and gender diversity often obscures the fact that there is little diversity when it comes to class. The aspirations of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore Fulani socio-cultural group are driven by the fact that other tribes should not relegate it on the basis of tribe; rather they should be equal and together strive for an egalitarian society for every citizen to operate not minding their chosen professions. This means that all sectors should and indeed contribute equally to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Group’s condemnation of desperate politicians
Alhaji Bodejo didn’t mince words in a recent outburst when he condemned the desperation of certain politicians.
The group, therefore, directed its members nationwide and other Fulani groups “to embark on a massive campaign against the political aspirations whose utterances and actions do not mean well for the pastoralists and the entire country.”
It called on Nigerians to unite for the progress of the country and commended them for rejecting those whose actions or inactions are inimical to the unity, growth and development of the country and its people. According to the group, this was demonstrated by the electorates at the polls.
Dr. Bodejo said further that the association had collaborated with the security agencies and other well-meaning citizens to find a lasting solution to the herders’ farmers’ conflict, and called on the government to “closely monitor the activities of the organisation, particularly their source of funding.”
With the governorship and House Assembly elections done and dusted save for a few that are yet to be decided, Dr. Badejo believes that the people had made the right choices. According to him, with the people’s choices at the helm of affairs in the states, the in-coming administration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu “will find it easy to implement the necessary policies that will better the lot of the people.”