The crisis rocking the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) deepened on Tuesday when operatives of the Nigeria Police sealed off the headquarters of the socio-cultural organisation in Kaduna ahead of a planned National Executive Council (NEC) meeting.
The ACF secretariat, located along Sokoto Road in Kaduna metropolis, was barricaded, with police vehicles stationed at the entrance as of 7 p.m.
Members of the NEC, led by Barrister Mamman Mike Osuman, SAN, were supposed to meet at the headquarters today for an emergency meeting.
In a statement he personally signed last night, titled ‘ACF head office under siege,’ Osuman fingered the Chairman of the BoT, Alhaji Bashir Dalhatu, whom he alleged was acting outside the confines of his responsibilities as enshrined in the ACF Constitution.
He also claimed that he and other NWC officials had been locked inside the ACF headquarters, describing the development as “a sacrilege.”
But in a counter statement titled ‘Re-notice of emergency ACF-NEC meeting; please stay away,’ Alhaji Bashir, a former minister and Wazirin Dutse, described the meeting as illegal, saying the Secretary-General of the organisation, Malam Murtala Aliyu, who is also a former minister and Matawallen Gombe, had no power to call for the meeting because his tenure had allegedly ended.
When contacted, the Kaduna State Police Command said it only deployed its men to the ACF headquarters in order to avert a breakdown of law and order.
Its Public Relations Officer, DSP Mansur Hassan, said, “We didn’t seal off the office. What happened was that we received two letters and intelligence that two factions want to hold a meeting, and in Kaduna State, we are enjoying a peaceful atmosphere and so, we will not want a breakdown of law and order in the state.”
Daily Trust reports that the crisis in the ACF revolves around leadership and the powers of the NEC and that of the Board of Trustees (BoT).
There are also claims of lack of transparency in managing the over N3.9 billion donated to the ACF during an endowment fund held last year.
Some sources within and outside the ACF decried the development in the Forum, lamenting that the leaders, who were supposed to galvanise forces and make a strong case for the North ahead of the forthcoming elections, had “fallen into the hands of powerful forces against a unified voice and are now fighting among themselves.”
One of the sources said, “It is inconceivable that these eminent northern leaders are fighting while the region burns amid insecurity and a lack of clear political direction.”
The crisis in the ACF had been brewing for months, but escalated at the weekend when General Haliru Akilu (rtd), the chairman of the leadership selection committee of the Forum, issued a statement saying the tenure of some BoT and NEC members had ended.
General Akilu said those affected include the Secretary-General, Aliyu; the Deputy Chairman of the BoT, Senator Fred Orti from Benue State; the Vice Chairman of the BoT, Amb. Ibrahim Mai Sule from Yobe State; and the Deputy Chairman of the NEC and Wazirin Katsina, Sen. Ibrahim Ida.
There were suggestions that the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’adu Abubakar III, had intervened with a view to resolving the crisis.
However, when contacted, the Secretary of the Sultanate Council, Alhaji Sa’idu Maccido, said he was unaware of any intervention by the Sultan in the matter.
In the same vein, a senior councillor of the council, Dr Muhammad Jabbi Kilgori, also said that he had no knowledge of the Sultan playing any role in reconciling the parties involved.
He said that the monarch has been out of the country, adding that it is, however, possible he may have reached out to the actors from abroad.
A member of the ACF NEC, who was inside the headquarters in Kaduna last night, also confirmed to Daily Trust that the police barricaded the entrance.
“We are still inside the office as the police have barricaded the entrance. Their vehicles are still outside,” he said.
We’re under siege
In the statement he issued, the NEC Chairman, Osuman, SAN, said it was within his constitutional prerogative, and indeed that of the ACF, to convene meetings of both the National Working Committee (NWC) and the NEC.
“This authority is expressly conferred on me by Section 13(1)(a) and (b) of the ACF Constitution, which provides as follows:
Section 13(1)(a):
“The Chairman shall have the following functions: (a)
To convene all meetings of the National Executive Council and the Working Committee.
Section 13(1)(b):
“To preside over and direct all meetings of the National Executive Council and the Working Committee.”
“Pursuant to these provisions, I duly issued notice convening a meeting of the National Working Committee. To the consternation of members, this lawful directive was countermanded by Bashir Dalhatu, Chairman of the Board of Trustees.
“In response, I advised members, using the same platform, to disregard this unconstitutional interference and attend the scheduled meeting.
I am pleased to note that members, in overwhelming numbers, responded to this call and attended the National Working Committee meeting held today, Tuesday, 5th May 2026.
“Regrettably, Bashir Dalhatu has escalated matters by issuing further threats directed at members intending to attend the National Executive Council meeting scheduled for Wednesday, 6th May 2026.
“This development raises grave constitutional concerns. The right to peaceful assembly is guaranteed under Section 40 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended),” he said.
“It is equally concerning that the office of the Chairman of the Board of Trustees is being personalised in a manner inconsistent with the collective spirit and constitutional framework of the ACF. Such actions suggest the pursuit of personal objectives, to which we, in the overriding interest of our region, our people, and the nation, must firmly object,” he alleged.
He, therefore, called on the Inspector-General of Police to intervene.
“Any perceived inaction may give rise to avoidable tensions and unfortunate consequences that could undermine public confidence and national stability,” he said.
Reacting to the development, the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the ACF condemned the action of the police, describing it as unwarranted and lacking legal backing.
In a separate statement, the National Publicity Secretary of the ACF, Prof. T. A. Muhammad-Baba, said the Forum was not under any legal restriction, adding that the ACF was unaware of any court order against it nor any curtailing its functions.
“There is absolutely no basis for sealing the office unless, of course, there are some unstated motives,” he said.
Planned meeting illegal – BoT chair
While justifying his resistance to the NEC meeting, the BoT Chairman, Alhaji Dalhatu, insisted the tenure of Mallam Murtala Aliyu had ended on the 10th of March, 2026, and, therefore, must stop parading himself as the Secretary-General of the ACF.
“We have made it clear that a notice of meeting such as this, issued and signed by a former official, is, ipso facto, illegal, null and void.
“Against this wanton lawlessness, we find it necessary to reiterate our advice to members of the ACF to disregard this notice of meeting and to stay away from it.
“It is important to stress that holding this illegal meeting may set the stage for possible conflict or even the breakdown of law and order between our members. If for nothing else, in the interest of peace and security, members are well advised to play safe and shun this illegal meeting.
“For the avoidance of any doubt, we have a duty to underline this fact clearly and without the need for any further clarification that Murtala M. Aliyu, ex-secretary-general of ACF, lacks the power to summon, sign or circulate notice of any meeting of any description of any organ of the ACF,” he said.
‘Patrons should intervene’
Two members of the ACF, who spoke to Daily Trust yesterday on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, called on members of the Patrons of the ACF, comprising former heads of state and ex-presidents of northern extraction, to save the image of the socio-cultural organisation from further embarrassment.
One of them said, “We have become a laughing stock… other socio-cultural organisations, especially those in the South, are watching. It is better for the likes of Generals Yakubu Gowon, Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar to call members of the NEC and BoT for a meeting to solve the problem.”
The other described the fight over the leadership tussle as diversionary.
“Why are they not talking about the N3.9 billion received by the ACF as donations during the endowment we had in Abuja?” he asked.
“This is the main issue, and those concerned should come out clean,” he said.
Our correspondents report that the money was reportedly deposited at Jaiz Bank in Kaduna, but was later moved to a Kano branch of the bank, and a large chunk of it invested in a certain business that will yield profit.
It was learnt that a petition had been written by a member of the ACF in respect of various infractions.
When contacted, the chairman of the Ethics Committee of the Forum, Nuhu Mohammed Jamo, confirmed that they had received the petition.
“It is before us; the issue is complex, and due process must be followed. We have done the initial step, which is sending the petition to the person accused. After his response, we will take the next step, but we should note that a petition is an allegation; he who alleges must prove. We hope to resolve the matter in two weeks,” he said.
(Source: Daily Trust with modified headline)
