Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of spearheading an alleged plot of the Fulani ethnic group to take over Nigeria.

Mr Ortom’s allegation come on the heels of agitations against Mr Buhari’s glaring nepotism and favouritism towards his ethnic base. 

The Benue governor, who made the allegation while reacting to the recent killing of residents of Benue community by alleged herdsmen on Tuesday, said that Mr Buhari’s actions and inactions showed that his administration was working to favour the Fulani people.

Mr Ortom said that the people of Benue are being overstretched and running out of patience due to the incessant attacks on their communities.

“What is happening now, to me, is very clear; Mr President is just working for these Fulanis to take over the whole country. His body language is what is being played out. The body language, the action and inaction of Mr President shows that he is only the President of Fulani people; I have known this,” Mr Ortom said.

“We are becoming a Banana Republic, if we have a President who gave the security agencies order to shoot at sight, whosoever is having AK-47 and the Minister of Defence came out to say that they cannot shoot at sight… so who is the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces?” He added.

Further calling on other governors to wake up and challenge Mr Buhari to address the country’s numerous security challenges, Mr Ortom advised the federal government to declare a state of emergency on the country’s failed security system.

“Mr President must rise up. He is the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He has taken the oath of office to secure and protect lives and property. This (attack) is not acceptable. This cannot continue.” 

He added, “Mr President must rise up and address the nation. My colleagues, the governors must rise and impress on the president to call a security summit, if possible, to declare a state of emergency on security so that all hands will be on deck to address the situation in the country.”

Bishop Matthew Kukah had while delivering his Christmas message in December accused Mr Buhari of institutionalising northern hegemony at the expense of national unity in the country. 

“President Buhari deliberately sacrificed the dreams of those who voted for him to what seemed like a programme to stratify and institutionalise northern hegemony,” the catholic bishop in December said.

The president has continued to show lethargy in condemning killer herdsmen wreaking havoc in many parts of the southern parts of the country instead asking oppressed farmers to accommodate the invaders.

Mr Buhari also swiftly took sides with his Fulani clan when Ondo governor Rotimi Akeredolu issued an ultimatum for unauthorised persons to vacate the state’s forest reserve.