BoT Suspends ACF Chairman, Osuman, For Criticizing President Tinubu’s Govt

By Ayodele Oni

For criticizing President Bola Tinubu’s administration, the Board of Trustees, (BoT) of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has announced the suspension of Mamman Osuman, its national chairman.

Bashir Dalhatu, chairman of the BoT of ACF, and Murtala Aliyu, the secretary, who announced the suspension on Thursday, also accused the chairman of issuing an unauthorised statement.

Osuman had criticised northern leaders for not finding solutions to the challenges facing the region.

He 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.

A statement by the BoT read “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.

“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.”