The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has said it has not endorsed any presidential candidate or political party in the forthcoming 2023 general elections.
Baba Usman-Ngelzarma, the national president of MACBAN, disclosed this while briefing newsmen on Friday in Abuja, adding that all the major political parties had not included the challenges facing Nigerian pastoralists in their manifestos.
He said, “I will have to make clarification because there are two Miyetti Allah groups. We have the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore and the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), which is the one I represent as national president.
“As far as my association, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, is concerned, we have not endorsed any presidential candidate.
“We are still waiting for all the presidential candidates to answer our questions on the seven-point demand we raised and presented to them.
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“Up till now we have not received any consent from any of the presidential candidates. So, until when we receive one before we begin to analyse and consider within the shortest time we have and decide whether we can endorse any or not.
“So, before we decide on which presidential candidate to support, we have to sit together, analyse and discuss with congress, because that is our difference from the other pastoralist associations.
“We are going to show our numerical strength in this year’s elections. Whoever we agree to vote for will get a block vote.
“And whichever candidate we endorse will win the election because we have about 16 million registered voters from the pastoralist community in Nigeria.”
He noted that he went through the manifestos and blueprints of the presidential candidates but didn’t see anything that had to do with livestock.
