The All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Rivers State branch, has said it will not vote any candidate that is not farmer-friendly during the forthcoming general elections.
Roland Brown, Chairman, AFAN in Rivers State, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Port Harcourt on Tuesday that their votes would not be for politicians who did not have agricultural programmes for farmers.
Brown said: “Our members will not vote for candidate whose programme do not support agriculture.
“It is not a paper thing.
“We will have a Town Hall meeting with candidates from the Federal, state and local government levels.
“We will hold them (politicians) accountable.
“We have started engaging them.
Brown, also the chairman, Rivers Agro-allied Co-operative Union, said his members had planned to cultivate more than 1,000 hectares during the farming season.
He, however, noted that the only setback would be the herders, who were destroying farm crops with their cattle, which had caused clashes between farmers and herders in recent times.
According to him, the development remained a setback to achieving food sufficiency and food security in the country.
He said: “Who will go to the farm in an insecure environment?
“There can be no food security in the country when the farms are not secured.”
Brown appealed to the Federal Government to adequately fund the security agencies to enable them provide effective security services for the nation.
