Alhaji Kabir Ibrahim, the National President of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) said on Tuesday that he remains the leader of the group and dismissed reports of the association’s plans to hold elections for its state chapters.

Ibrahim who said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, dismissed suggestions of an impending election process explaining that the determination of the matter concerning the leadership tussle within the association was already before the Court of Appeal “and, therefore, the status quo remains.”

“Some people have taken us to court and even asked the court to stop us but the court refused, saying it had no right to do that.

“Did the Governor of Kano State leave office because the election petition tribunal and the Court of Appeal asked him to leave?

“Did the governors of Plateau and Nassarawa states leave office while their cases were still in court?

“They got judgments in the lower court and we appealed; the matter is not as easy as it is and as far as I am concerned it shows lack of education.

“We have conducted elections and we were about to conduct national elections in 2019 when they took us to court.

“Due to the prevalence of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in 2021, the courts could not sit.

“In 2022 when a lower court ruled over the matter, we appealed in May.

“The Court of appeal couldn’t hear the case until just last week.

“A matter is in court. How can you conduct elections? Whoever is planning to conduct any elections is breaching the law.

“We had just conducted an election and were about to do a national election when these people took us to court.

“Let us wait for the court to decide on the matter so that we don’t go contrary to the law,” he said.

The AFAN president urged members of the association and other stakeholders to disregard one Dr Arosanyin and his plans to reach out to certain state chapters for the reconstitution of leadership structures.

“The man who is claiming to be the AFAN president could not even win the chairmanship election in his home state.

“The Federal Government and all State Governments are dealing with us, not him.

“I went with the two ministers of agriculture to launch the dry season farming in Jigawa. We went to Orozo, where we flagged off the remaining rice and maize season farming and we are working on a lot more projects.

“To conduct fresh elections, you need to take five elected people from the executives of the states to form the electorate.

“I am still the National President of AFAN. Whatever they are talking about is not AFAN but a distraction,” he stated.