Asaba Accord: Northern Lawmakers Backs Southern Governors’ Ban on Open Grazing

A minority northern caucus has emerged in the House of Representatives, pushing for the interests of minorities in the North, Daily Report Nigeria has learnt.

The group dominated by lawmakers from the North-Central geopolitical zone, as well as Southern Kaduna and other parts of the North-West, is seeking to challenge the Fulani hegemony, that has reportedly caused marginalisation of minority tribes in the North, including the Hausa.

The splinter group is reportedly made up of members of the Peoples Democratic Party and other opposition parties.

The northern lawmakers particularly hailed the Southern Governors’ Forum over its recent meeting in Asaba, the Delta State capital, where it passed a nine-point resolution.

The group had issued a statement on Thursday, signed by Messrs Amos Gwamna (Kaduna), Solomon Maren (Plateau), Rimande Shawulu (Taraba), Mark Gbillah (Benue), Tajudeen Yusuf (Kogi) and Usman Sokodabo (FCT), backing the southern governors on their recommendations on the affairs of the country.

However, Mark Gbillah of Benue later withdrew from the statement.

Tajudeen Yusuf said, “We are a minority in the North and have always been oppressed. Let me tell you this: the most oppressed people in the North are the minorities. As of now, we are a minority party. Deep down in the North too, we also want the minority to have a voice.

“Majority of us in the PDP are minorities (tribes) from the North. There are a few of us from Zamfara and Sokoto. Even those from Zamfara are Hausa and they are oppressed; they are not Fulani. Zamfara is 99 per cent Fulani. People don’t understand those dynamics.”

In another statement on Monday titled ‘Lawmaker Applauds Southern Governors for Rising Above Partisanship on Grazing Issue…Urges Northern Governors to Emulate Southern Counterparts…Condemns Over-Dependence on Federal Statutory Allocations.’ Yusuf who represents Kabba/Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency in Kogi,
The statement was titled, said in view of the “extreme cluelessness and bias of the APC Federal Government,” southern governors’ non-partisan objectivity deserved further applause.

There are indications that the lawmakers are considering selecting a leader from among themselves, while considering the ranks and experiences of the candidates.