By Valentine Amanze
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State has described as sad and strange, support by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state and its governorship candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, for the creation of cattle colonies in some local government areas in the state.
It stated: “An inch of Ekiti lands will not be given to herdsmen for creating of cattle colonies that will later create an inroad for the invasion of Ekitiland.”
The state Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Jackson Adebayo, stated this, while reacting to comment by Fayemi that killings by Fulani herdsmen would only stop if lands were provided for the herdsmen as their permanent settlements.
The party added that it was no longer hidden that Fayemi had entered into agreement to create cattle colonies in Orin-Ora, Aramoko, Omuo, Otun, Ise and Erifun in Ado Ekiti.
“While on telephone with an Abuja-based radio station today, Fayemi had reportedly said in his reaction to the yesterday killing of over 200 people in Plateau State that ‘states having issues with Fulani herdsmen can only solve the problems permanently by giving lands to the herdsmen so that they can have their own settlements where they can even have an Emir. That’s why I have maintained that I will create Cattle Colonies in Ekiti State if I become governor. It is better to give your lands to Fulani herdsmen and live than for them to kill you as they did in Plateau State yesterday.”’
Adebayo stated on Monday that “it was strange that Fayemi has never seen anything wrong in the killing of Nigerians by herdsmen. Instead, he has consistently given tacit support to the killings by insisting on creation of cattle colonies.
“It is instructive to note that when herdsmen killed Ekiti people in Oke Ako, Orin, Okemesi, Aiyede, Ipao and other places, Fayemi did not utter a word to condemn the killings. No single press statement was issued by the APC to condemn the killings by herdsmen and called for arrest of the perpetrators.
“Instead of condemning these killings and destruction of people’s farmlands by herdsmen, Fayemi and his APC have been canvassing support for cattle colonies just to remain in the good book of the Fulani power brokers as being done by the Ondo State Governor, Rotimi
Akeredolu, and other APC governors.
“Ekiti people will remember that when Fulani herdsmen invaded the farm of Chief Olu Falae and set it ablaze, Governor Akeredolu did not say a word.
“It has therefore become necessary that we alert our people to the danger of returning Fayemi to power because no APC governor will protect its people against marauding herdsmen as done by the PDP government of Governor Ayodele Fayose.”