The governor of a Nigerian state badly hit by violence between farmers and herders has quit President Muhammadu Buhari's ruling party, after a wave of defections by lawmakers.
Samuel Ortom was elected as governor of Benue in 2015 for the All Progressives Congress (APC) party but has been openly critical of the government's response to the deadly clashes in his state.
The International Crisis Group said in a report today that more than 1,300 people had been killed in the violence across central states since January. Ortom announced late on Wednesday that he was moving back to the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after "due consultations with relevant stakeholders".
"I have resolved that the way forward is to rejoin (the) PDP," he said. Ortom's move comes after dozens of lawmakers in parliament in Abuja on Tuesday dumped the APC for the PDP in a sign of growing discontent at Buhari's leadership as elections approach.
Buhari, 75, is seeking a second, four-year term of office in elections set for February, despite claims he is too old and questions about his health following a lengthy, undisclosed illness.
The former military ruler has also been criticised for his handling of rising violence as well as the alleged used of security services to target his perceived political opponents.
Ortom has been one of the most vocal opponents of Buhari's response to the resource conflict, which has become polarised along ethnic, political and religious lines.
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The governor's ethnic Tiv kinsmen, who are Christian, have been targeted. The herders are mainly ethnic Fulani Muslims, as is Buhari.
APC flags have now been removed from public places in Benue, according to an AFP reporter in the state.
The ruling party said it was "somewhat surprising" Ortom had left and it was still working to try to reconcile disgruntled members.
"Even with this development, we don't think it is too late for reconciliation," the party said in a statement.
Buhari met APC senators in Abuja late on Wednesday as part of efforts to broker a truce in the party, which last month saw a splinter group emerge of disaffected members.
In separate unrest that is putting Buhari's government under pressure, cattle rustling gangs were suspected of killing 20 people in the northern state of Zamfara.
Two residents told AFP that gunmen riding motorbikes stormed the herding and farming village of Kwaddi, in the Zurmi area of the state, and opened fire on a mosque.
The attack happened at about 4:00 pm (1500 GMT) on Tuesday.
"The bandits killed 20 people and injured several others in the attack," said Kalla Wadatau, who lives in the remote village.
"They came while it was raining and opened fire on the mosque, forcing people to flee and shut themselves indoors. But they broke into homes and shot people," he added.
Another local, Bube Sule, gave a similar account and said the gunmen were angry with villagers who had refused to pay them protection money of one million naira ($2,763, 2,362 euros).
"We are a poor community which doesn't have a fraction of what they demanded," he said, adding that two weeks ago the bandits killed eight people as a warning.
State police confirmed the attack but did not give exact details. Both the bandits and kidnappers are largely Fulani Muslims and the violence is seen as mostly criminal.
Zamfara has been hit in recent years by a rise in violence but extra troops sent to the state and a police ban on civilian militia have been unable to stop the clashes.
Militia forces have also been accused of carrying out their own attacks, leading to reprisals.
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