2027: ACF suspends Chairman over declaration of support for Northern presidential candidate

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has suspended Mamman Osuman, its national chairman, for issuing an unauthorised statement.

Bashir Dalhatu, chairman of the board of trustees (BoT) of ACF, and Murtala Aliyu, the secretary, announced Osuman’s suspension in a statement on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Osuman criticised northern leaders for not finding solutions to the challenges facing the region.

Osuma queried the roles the governors and lawmakers from the region are playing towards improving the economic hardship inflicted on the people by the policies of President Bola Tinubu.

He reportedly announced the support of the forum for a northern candidate in the 2027 general election.

The ACF said Osuman did not consult with other leaders and members of the forum before making the statement.

“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 on Wednesday, November 2024, at ACF Headquarters, Kaduna,” the statement reads.

“In particular, Mr. Osuman was quoted as saying that 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.

“ACF rejects Mr. Mamman Mike Osuman’s statements in their entirety.

“For this reason, the leadership of the ACF’s Board of Trustees (BOT) and that of its NEC has decided to place Mr. Mamman Mike Osuman on suspension with immediate effect. A committee has been constituted for further investigations.”