By Bukola Olamona
The National Leadership of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has been urged to intervene in the alleged illegal inauguration of the Ondo State executive of the group, scheduled for Saturday, February 15, 2025.
Addressing journalists in Akure on Thursday, a co-contestant for the position of state president, Alhaji Shehu Mohammed B. Sule, described the planned inauguration as an embarrassment to the national leadership of the association.
According to him, the MACBAN leadership had earlier directed that supporters of both contestants should jointly form the state executive. However, he alleged that Ali Abubakar Maunde had disregarded the agreement and was single-handedly planning his inauguration alongside his supporters.
Sule explained that the association’s National President, Alhaji Baba Usman Ngelzarma, and other leaders had visited Ondo State to resolve the leadership tussle, leading to Maunde’s emergence as a consensus candidate. The agreement, he said, was that both camps would be represented in the executive.
He, however, alleged that since the national leaders left, Maunde had been politicizing the association, falsely labeling him a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to gain the support of some state government officials.
Sule urged the national leadership and security agencies to stop the inauguration until Maunde abides by the agreement.
“The immediate intervention of stakeholders is crucial to prevent the factionalization of MACBAN, especially at a time when reports of criminal activities in different parts of the state are frequent. MACBAN is not Maunde’s personal property, and he must be called to order,” he said.
In response, Maunde dismissed the allegations as baseless and false. He admitted that no election was held but maintained that his emergence was through a consensus arrangement.
He added that he had complied with the national leadership’s directive by ensuring that the 22-member executive was equally shared between both camps, and the inauguration would proceed as planned on Saturday.