The Board of Trustees (BOT) of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), has accused its secretary general, Mallam Murtala Aliyu, of undermining the forum.
Bashir M. Dalhatu, chairman of the ACF BoT in a statement said: “Recently, the Board of Trustees, in line with its duty of ensuring compliance with the provisions of the Forum’s Constitution – ACF Const. Sec. 24 – including respect for term limits and smooth leadership succession, took a number of steps which did not seem to have pleased some people, especially Mallam Murtala Aliyu, the Secretary General.
“As a result, he has devoted a great deal of time and energy to pull down the entire ACF edifice.”
The statement explained that the ACF Constitution provides for a six-year single tenure for leaders of the BOT, while National Executive Council leaders are limited to three years, plus a possible renewal of three years only.
On that basis, Dalhatu stated that earlier this year, the attention of the BOT was drawn to possible breaches of the ACF Constitution through a petition by ‘Concerned Members’—a group that includes Mr Anthony N.Z. Sani, the immediate past Secretary General—who believed that the continued stay in office of certain officials beyond a certain date might violate the Constitution of the ACF.
He said the matter was subsequently discussed at the BOT meeting held on April 23, 2026. After deliberations and hearing from those concerned, the BOT resolved that the tenure of certain officials who assumed office in March 2020 would have expired by March 10, 2026, having exhausted the maximum six years allowed.
The officials, according to the statement, include Senator F. Orti (Benue), Deputy Chair, BOT; Ambassador Ibrahim Mai Sule (Yobe), Vice Chair, BOT; Senator Ibrahim Ida, Wazirin Katsina, Deputy Chair, NEC; and Mallam Murtala Aliyu (Muttawallen Gombe), Secretary General.
The chairman of the BOT explained that these positions, therefore, became vacant from March 10, 2026, adding that Murtala Aliyu was, at his request, allowed to prepare his handover notes and conclude departure formalities not later than Friday, May 15, 2026.
According to the statement, “In a baffling twist of events, Murtala Aliyu, who, contrary to the ACF Constitution, is in his seventh year as Secretary General, declared his rejection of all these terms of settlement. He is, interestingly, the only person among the four officials whose tenure ended, refusing to step down.”
In pursuit of a more peaceful resolution, the statement noted that several high-level meetings were held, including one convened by some elders, led by General Haliru Akilu (retd) and hosted by Alhaji Mahmud Yayale Ahmed on April 21, 2026.
Rather than cooperating in good faith, the statement said Murtala Aliyu went on to summon an ‘Emergency Meeting’ of the National Executive Committee scheduled for May 6, 2026, in an attempt, allegedly, to reverse the decision requiring him to step down.
“He is using ridiculous logic by claiming that the letter re-appointing him in 2023 said he could stay in office until December, 2026,” the statement said.
It further added: “The above narrative summarises 100 per cent of the events which the media are now describing as ‘leadership split or power crisis’ in the ACF. Nothing of the sort exists. If indeed there is any crisis, it revolves around one person who appears utterly desperate to remain in charge of affairs in the ACF, come rain, sunshine or high waters.”
Dalhatu urged the public to view “all the negative propaganda being spread for what they truly are: mischievous falsehood designed to instigate mistrust, acrimony and the collapse of the ACF”.
“There has, for instance, been no financial infractions committed whatsoever at the level of the BOT. Every single kobo collected as donations into the ACF Endowment Fund, has been deposited safely in the bank; far away from the reach of the Secretariat, the NEC, and, for that matter, the BOT,” the statement explained.
He added that the ACF Endowment Fund Advisory Committee, led by Ambassador Hassan Adamu, Wakilin Adamawa, and the Management Committee under the leadership of retired Inspector General of Police, Alhaji MD Abubakar, alongside other men and women of “unimpeachable character and experience”, had been appointed to implement the endowment programme of the ACF.
The statement further explained: “Among the key items on the Terms of Reference for the committees is the duty to publish regular reports of their activities in order both to demonstrate full transparency and accountability. That is the whole truth.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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