 PDP House of Representatives urge Nigerians to keep tweeting, and President Mohamed Abouhari backs open grazing. Food and cattle dealers threaten nationwide strike and put supply to the nation. This is Plus Politics, and I am Mary Anacorn. Members of the People's Democratic Party PDP and the House of Representatives have told Nigerians to continue using Twitter. The members of the party had staged a walkout from the chambers while plenary was still ongoing, as the Speaker, Femi Bada Biamila, had rejected the point of order raised by the leader, Honourable Kingsley Chinda, who had asked an additional prayer to the setting up of a committee to probe the Twitter ban, to urge the federal government to rescind its decision pending when the interface was concluded. The media chaired President Bahari states that he supports open grazing and that he has asked the Attorney General of the Federation of Bubakamalami to begin the process of recovering land from persons who have converted cattle grazing routes for their personal use. Joining me to discuss this is Rima Shawulu, he is a member of the House of Representatives for Tungkum Donga Ussah Federal Constituency in Plattus State, and of course we will be joined later by Messi Eboquo and Ayo Ademiluyu, a legal practitioner. Messi Eboquo is a broadcast journalist. While we wait for the Plattus member representing Kundo, let's move to Ayo Ademiluyu. We know that today the NBA had said that they have constituted a committee or a panel of sorts that would be legal team for any Nigerian that the federal government decides to prosecute for using Twitter or by, you know, contravening the suspension of Twitter to continuously use it. Why did the NBA decide to take that position? Well, first and foremost, I want to think that I'm not speaking in official capacity of the Nigerian Bar Association. I'm speaking at the time that I'm a member of the association. What I think is that the Nigerian Bar Association considered what was the public interest in the position of committee. And this is the public position of committee. We found the committee of the Nigerian Bar Association considered that it was today at the time that the public interest in the position and the private position are right in front of the committee. But by the time the position of the section of the public interest... Ayo Ademiluyu, hold on. I think you're in a very noisy place and it's very difficult for us to hear you. Can you move to a place that's less noisy so we can make out what you're saying? Thank you. Yes, we can hear you. My membership of the Nigerian Bar Association section of public interest and development law. I'm aware that the Nigerian Bar Association is pursuing legal action on behalf of the Nigerian Bar Association. I'm aware that the state of public interest in the position of the public interest in the position of committee and the position of the Nigerian Bar Association is pursuing legal action on behalf of the Nigerian Bar Association. I'd like to thank the minister for the letter of the ministerial and public importance involved with the finance and the administration of our nation. So I would like to thank the minister for the letter and the minister of the of the constitution. Especially because like that, no one can be contributed for the first and the second law. The third law in Nigeria. We're going to take a quick break and when we come back, we will continue this conversation. It's still plus politics. Stay with us. We need to turn our positions. We need to turn our constituents' positions. And we have also said that every member of the PVP purpose will continue to tweet. We are polling on the authority general. Leave Nigerians alone. Do not prosecute Nigerians. We are their representatives. We will tweet. Any day you want to prosecute us, tell us the cause and the time we will be there ourselves to surrender to your constitution. So talking about the Twitter suspension stroke ban, we were talking with a lawyer, especially on the issues that have been raised by the members of the opposition party, PDP, on the floor of the House of Representatives. Now they have continued to tell Nigerians to tweet. And the stage they walk out a few days ago, we're going to play that video and then we will speak with a member of the House of Representatives from the PDP. In the meantime, we'll be joined by Messia Bokbo. She's a broadcast journalist with Fackling FM. Messia, you have obviously been following the news stories and as a journalist, there was a statement by the NBC asking that media houses take, deactivate their Twitter. But then here we are where the NBA is saying they are going to make sure that they stand by every Nigerian if there be any litigation. The members of the PDP on the floor of the House of Representatives are asking us to continue tweeting even though the presidency has said that those who are, you know, failing to comply with the ban or the suspension will be prosecuted. Does this not leave you as a journalist very confused? Yes, it does leave me very confused as a journalist. But the matter of fact, you find out that a lot of media houses, including that which I belong, is also trying to comply with the ban on Twitter. That's because, you know, ethnicities deal with the same thing. Yes, I can hear you. That's because ethnicities, you know, on this side of it, resonate in the activities of media houses in Nigeria. And as you know, these media houses, you know, for the fear of not wanting to be shut down, we want to comply with it. So not like in the middle, because you have a lot of media people who are still tweeting via the VTN as a team. But it is really, really sad and unfortunate that, you know, the Nigerian festival as a country, I mean, I stand to be corrected. We do not respect the laws. We do not respect laws and regulations. Now, not even talk of the fact that there's a call saying that this suspension valley and, you know, contradicting the United Nations human rights order, which we are, which we are a signature to. So that doesn't, on its own, make any kind of sense. But you see, we see a lot of infunities. We see a lot of, you know, this order. We see government giving injunctions and all of that. And it leaves us very confused. On the side of the media house, we find that the media house is a complying because they don't want to be shut down. But I think it's bound to be shut down. It's bound to be shut down. Okay. Well, I think we're losing you there. But we're being joined by Rima Shawalu. He's a member of the House of Representatives for Tukum Donga Ussah Federal Constituency in Plattu State. Thank you very much for joining us, Honourable. Can you hear us? Unfortunately, we are having connection issues there with the member of the House of Representatives. Let's go back to Mercy and see if we can hear her. Mercy, can you hear me? Yes, I can hear you now. Perfect. Okay. So let's talk about this situation now. The President said today while he was being interviewed that the hashtag and SARS on Twitter that ended on the 20th of October, 2020, which saw a lot of bloodshed here in Lagos, even though we're still dragging on that issue or dragging our feet on that issue. The President expressly said that today during his media chat that it was aimed at removing him from office. And one would wonder, putting that side by side with the gunshots and the shooting by soldiers, first the soldiers said they were not the ones there and then, of course, secondly, they said it was the Lagos State Government that brought them. The Lagos State Governor did say he didn't know who ordered the shooting. I mean, it's a big confusion. Do you think that maybe this is what made the President decide to ban Twitter and not necessarily about the fact that, I mean, the government has said that the reason why Twitter was brought down is because of security issues. As someone who's been following all of these stories and what the President has told us today, does any of this add up for you? No, you know, this is what it is. Over time, I've always said that there's a disconnect. There's a big disconnect with those who rule the affairs of this country and the rules. So it feels like, you know, the President, the presidency and every other president meets in a different country because there is no correlation with the current realities. I mean, let's talk about the hashtag answer. The reason for that, you know, movement up until now is because of the police brutality that's been going on, you know, for a very long time, without any justice, without nothing done. And that's the reason. On the other hand also, that process was also caused for a serious response in the police. So it's a two-way thing. So I am really taken aback. I mean, I've been following the stories and when I see some of these things that I'm asking myself, who is going on? Do we live in a different country? Even if the President does not live in Nigeria, I'm sure that San Juan Jolieta, he's on Twitter. He doesn't see all of the things that are going on. So there's no connection, the disconnection with what is going on in the country and what our leaders are saying. So for him to certainly say that, oh yes, the movement, because I call that a movement, is to take him out of the office. It shows that the President is not following the current reality. He feels like he's not in tune. He's not in connection. He doesn't live in Nigeria. Well, just to play the devil's advocate. Just to play the devil's advocate. Before this media chat, the President was speaking with members of the INEC, INEC visited the President. And he did speak about the fact that he does understand what's going on in the country. He follows the news. He understands everything that's happening. So when you say that there's a disconnect and the President does not understand, but he has said that he does know what is going on in the country. And I remember Vivitli, he asked in that video what we want him to do. He sounded more like, I am doing my best for Nigerians, but you're not judging me fairly. And he has said it again today, saying that he hopes that when he leaves office, Nigerians will judge him fairly. So I have this question. Judging from the years that the President has been in office until now, yes, we are facing a very tough situation with pockets of violence all across the country. But has the President done well in terms of dealing with issues, whether it be infrastructure, he be security, it be all of the promises that he made to Nigerians and handling the fact that young people are agitating? Has he done well or how well has the President done? I would say that the President has not done well without trying to make my work and without trying to be on the other side clearly. Now, this has become a trend. It's quite unfortunate. It's obvious that for everything that happens, for every action, the President or the President, he would try to make it about himself. You find out that even the Governor, something happens and then the Governor is saying, oh, this is a plot to overthrow me. This is a plot against the APC government. This is a plot against the PDP government. This is a plot against me. So for the President to say that the movement of the hashtag and fuzz was to take him out of office, was to get him out of office, is really really bad. He shows that the President, as much as he says that he's following what is going on, there's a big disconnect. Maybe he doesn't really know. Let's talk about the open grazing that Mr. President has decided to back. Also part of that media chat that he had today on live TV, even though some people are arguing that it was recorded. The President openly is supporting open grazing. And it makes me wonder, Merci, 17 states out of the 36 states across the Federation, including the FCT, have said that they are banning open grazing because they're hoping that this will somewhat douse the tension when it comes to the farmer-herder crisis and the issue of banditry. What message do you think the President is trying to pass because he's also mandated the Attorney General of the Federation to somewhat deal with the issue of land and the areas where people have taken over that he calls grazing routes? Unfortunately, we have lost her again. Well, we will wrap this segment up and when we come back, we will be talking with the Market Sellers Association and of course the issue of onions. Onions seems to be a big thing right now and the Onions Association have said that they are not going to allow any more trucks to the south. Why? We'll get to find out as of this break.