Tinubu, presidency face-off on open grazing kicks off

A day after some APC southwest governors and party leaders Bola Tinubu, Bisi Akande, others declared support for the southern governors’ decision to ban open grazing, the presidency has hit back.

According to a statement by presidential spokesperson Shehu Garba, the decision is unacceptable.

It’s about the first time Tinubu, who many believe is gunning for the presidency in 2023,  will frontally support a decision Aso Rock will object to.

“It is equally true that their announcement is of questionable legality, given the Constitutional right of all Nigerians to enjoy the same rights and freedoms within every one of our 36 states (and FCT) -regardless of the state of their birth or residence,” Shehu said in the statement on Monday.

The residency also said the meeting was useless.

“It is very clear that there was no solution offered from their resolutions to the herder-farmer clashes that have been continuing in our country for generations.

“But the citizens of the southern states – indeed citizens of all states of Nigeria – have a right to expect their elected leaders and representatives to find answers to challenges of governance and rights, and not to wash their hands off hard choices by, instead, issuing bans that say: “not in my state.”

Without stating the solutions, Garba said Aso Rock had foreseen all this, and got ready a comprehensive plan it will reel out in June.

“Mr. President, who has rightly been worried about these problems more than any other citizen in consultation with farmers and herders alike, commissioned and approved an actionable plan of rehabilitating grazing reserves in the states, starting with those that are truly committed to the solution and compliant with stated requirements.”

AGF Abubakar Malami was the first person to kick against the plan, saying it is unconstitutional.