…Declares changes null and void

Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), the socio-cultural umbrella body of the North region, has been greeted by a power tussle as the body on Sunday debunked leadership changes in the organisation that were initiated by its Board of Trustees (BoT).

The forum, in a statement dated Sunday, May 3, 2026, signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Prof. T. A. Muhammad-Baba, declared that the changes are unconstitutional and null and void, and are totally false news.

“The attention of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has been drawn to an announcement of a change in the leadership of the organisation.

“The news is totally false, and the purported action from which the announcement was derived is unconstitutional,” it stated.

The statement added that, consequently, the Chairman of ACF, Mr Mike Mamman Mike Osuman, SAN, has “authorised that this disclaimer be issued to disabuse the minds of members of the ACF, the press, and the public in general, but especially the teeming masses of Arewa who have been suffering untold existential socioeconomic hardships”.

It stated that “Emphatically, the leadership of the Forum has neither authorised, known about nor communicated on the purported change. The announcement should therefore be treated as null, void, of no effect whatsoever.”

The release further stated that for the avoidance of doubts, “ACF finds it necessary to clarify that the approval of leaders of the Forum is vested in its General Assembly, which is yet to be convened for the purpose of filling any vacancies”.

According to the forum, “Section 8 (6) of the ACF Constitution empowers the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the Forum “to give general advice and direction on matters relating to the Aims and Objectives”, adding that “Any other role outside the provision in this Section is unknown to the Constitution of the ACF. Thus, the BOT has no authority to order any leadership change”.

The forum therefore stated that “The power to set up operational committees for any purpose is vested only in the NEC, vide Section 14 of the ACF Constitution. The purported set up of a Constitution Review is unconstitutional”.

“The stated Leadership Selection Committee is not known to the Constitution and exists, at the behest of NEC, in the exercise of its powers under item (o) of Section 14 (1).

“The leadership Selection Committee is, per se, only a creation of NEC as an ad hoc body, for the purpose of vetting and making recommendations to NEC for consideration and transmission to the General Assembly for approval.

“The last Leadership Selection Committee fulfilled its role in 2023 and, since then, stands dissolved. It is yet to be reconstituted. NEC is already in the process of reconstituting the Selection Committee.

“In the event, any action, assignment, function or announcement(s) by person(s) claiming to exercise such putative functional power is, ipso facto, irregular, unconstitutional and will certainly remain unrecognised”, it clarified.

It also stated “By the instrument of the ACF’s Constitution and specifically sub-sections (a), (c), (d) and (e) of Section (13), as well as sub-sections (a), (b) and (c) of Section (14), only the National Publicity Sectary or his/her, as may be the case, the Deputy and/or Assistant are empowered to publicize and project the image of the Forum. Any statement(s) by person(s) other than the aforementioned portfolio officers should be entirely discountenanced”.

ACF therefore clarified that “Mallam Murtala Aliyu remains in office as Secretary General until a successor emerges in accordance with due process”.

“It is highly regrettable that the ACF is forced to issue this statement, which may send wrong signals about some leadership crisis in the organisation.

“There is no such crisis, even as the Forum has been aware of clandestine and subterranean moves to engineer one to destabilise or annihilate the organisation, most plausibly by incentivised agents operating from within and outside ACF”, it stated.

In conclusion, the forum’s Chairman assured members of the Forum, its numerous supporters, friends and well-wishers that ACF’s current leadership will jealously guard the integrity of the Forum and resist any attempt to derail it.

He, however, added that ACF leadership is determined to resist all and any attempts to subvert the attainment of the Aims and objectives of the Forum as enunciated in its Constitution, as well as committed to ensuring due fidelity in observing the provisions of the ACF’s Constitution.

It thus asked that members should therefore remain calm, law-abiding and await further communication from the leadership.