Northern yam farmers to raise N5bn for Buhari’s presidential campaign

A group of yam farmers cutting across some northern states in the country has pledged to support the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Gen. Mohammadu Buhari’s campaign in the 2015 general elections with N5 billion.

The group disclosed this in a statement in Jos on Tuesday.

Rev. Jacob Musa, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the farmers under the name ``Buhari-Osibajo Presidential Appeal Campaign Fund (BOPCAF), said that farmers from 10 states of the federation were planning the fund raiser.

Musa said members drawn from Taraba, Nasarawa, Plateau, Adamawa, Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Niger and Kaduna states as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, would feature at the occasion.

He said that Prof. Emmanuel Garba, who lost the governorship primary of the APC in Plateau, was a founding father of the group.

``We have contributed five million tubers of yam to be donated in support of the funding of Buhari’s presidential campaign.

``The five million tubers of yam will be retailed at a special price of N1,000 each towards raising the sum of N5 billion in support of the APC candidate,’’ it said.

The statement said that the public presentation of the five million tubers of yam would hold at the Mararaban Demshin village yam market in Qua’an Pan Local Government Area of Plateau on Jan. 4, 2015.

It stated that the ceremony would also witness traditional wrestling involving 500 traditional wrestlers from the 19 northern states and the FCT.

``The aim is to mobilise the wrestlers in the campaign against poverty, crime, killings, kidnappings, armed robbery, cattle rustling, rape, cultism, election rigging, looting of public fund, smuggling, terrorism and other social vices now prevalent in the society,’’ it said.

The statement also said that the event would be heralded by a world press conference in Jos, sponsored by Imo Gov. Rochas Okorocha.

It added that the event would be attended by Gov. Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers in his capacity as the Director-General of the Buhari-Osibajo Campaign Organisation on Jan. 2, 2014.