ACF Suspends National Chairman over Unauthorised Statement,Meets with LND

John Shiklam in Kaduna and Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja 

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), has suspended its National Chairman, Mr. Mamman Mike Osuman, SAN, for issuing unauthorised statement. 

The suspension was announced in a statement in Kaduna, jointly signed by Alhaji  Bashir Dalhatu and  Alhaji Murtala Aliyu, the forum’s Chairman and Secretary Board of Trustees  respectively. 

According to the statement, Osuman, issued a statement on Wednesday during the forum’s meeting in Kaduna, saying the North would back a northern candidate for the presidency in 2027, which was reported in some media platforms. 

The forum said Osuman made the statement without consulting or discussing with other leaders and members of the ACF and therefore reflected his personal opinion only.

“The   attention   of   the   Arewa   Consultative   Forum   (ACF)   has   been drawn to widely reported statements credited to Mr. Mamman Mike Osuman, (SAN), Chairman, ACF National Executive Committee (NEC), which were made during the meeting of the NEC, held Wednesday,   November,   2024,   at   ACF   Headquarters,   Kaduna. 

“In particular, Mr. Osuman was quoted as saying the North will back a northern candidate for the presidency, come 2027. The statements were made by the NEC Chairman without consulting or discussing with other leaders and members of the ACF and thus, reflected Mr. Osuman’s personal opinion only.”

At the same time, a Northern group, Arewa Think Tank (ATT), has described as ‘fabricated lies’ insinuations that the ACF, had dumped President Bola Tinubu and endorsed northern presidential candidates for the 2027 elections.

The group stated that the ACF couldn’t have spoken on behalf of other political parties against Tinubu because ACF remained apolitical and a sociocultural organisation whose members do not have a common political interest.

In a statement in Abuja, the Convener of ATT, Muhammad Yakubu, said some of the media reports might have misquoted the position of the ACF following its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on Wednesday.

“ACF is not a political organisation that can speak as an opposition party. ACF is apolitical and all its members belong to different political parties, including the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC). So, the forum cannot decide for political parties against President Tinubu.

“Some media reports that the ACF has announced its support for Northern presidential candidates in the 2027 general elections is nothing but an imaginative news story hanging on the heels of fake news,” the group stated.

It insisted that the ACF, had also said it got a message from a group, the League of Northern Democrats, but that it told the group that should their ultimate focus be for the year 2027, their charity should begin now, and at home.

“From the ACF chairman’s speech, Arewa Think Tank believes that the ACF’s position was well misquoted by some media coverage, because from the speech there is no place saying that the ACF has dumped President Tinubu over 2027 presidential election.

“However, we challenge ACF leadership to deny or own up to some of the media reports that the North has dumped President Tinubu over the 2027 presidential race,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, the League of Northern Democrats (LND), has met with the ACF, with a view to “form a transformative coalition” to address the challenges facing the North. 

Speaking at the meeting which held at the ACF secretariat in Kaduna, Chairman of the LND and former Kano State governor, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, said the situation in the North today was ugly, but reversible. 

Shekarau who was represented by Ibrahim Bio, a former transport minister, lamented that the challenges facing the north were poverty, insecurity, illiteracy, religious intolerance, disunity, and diminishing political influence. 

“This marks the beginning of what we hope will be a transformative coalition for Northern Nigeria. The challenges facing our region – poverty, insecurity, illiteracy, religious intolerance, disunity, and diminishing political influence – are indeed serious. 

“The North is today in an ugly situation. Yet, we all know that the situation is reversible. It only requires commitment, collaboration, and a shared vision from all of us. In truth, we owe ourselves and the generations behind us the solemn duty to do so. 

“I am convinced that it is the spirit of this duty that has brought us all together today,” he said, commending the ACF for its contributions in preserving the values, culture, and dignity of the North.