The Arewa Consultative Forum on Thursday suspended its chairman Mamman Osuman after the northern body’s criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s policies, saying it had impoverished the North.
The ACF, in a statement, added that the interests of the North would be best represented by northerners.
In a communiqué issued at the conclusion of the forum’s National Executive Council meeting in Kaduna on Wednesday, the ACF expressed dissatisfaction with the current economic policies, which, according to the forum, worsened conditions in Northern Nigeria.
The communiqué, signed by ACF’s National Publicity Secretary, Prof. Tukur Muhammad-Baba, also called on the President to review and reassess his administration’s economic policies to ensure they are more compassionate, considering the current hardships Nigerians are enduring.
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“I do admit that some policies of the current administration are repugnant and adverse to our interests as a region,” Osuman stated.
“A sizeable number of our brothers and sisters in the region have demonstrated proclivity towards politics and political offices come 2027. They are already focusing on the 2027 elections.”
However, the ACF in a shock U-Turn, suspended Osuman in a letter signed by its Secretary-General, Murtala Aliyu.
The letter stated, “The attention of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has been drawn to widely reported statements credited to Mr. Mamman Mike Osuman, SAN, OFR, Chairman, ACF National Executive Committee, 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.”
Reacting, the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, said, “There is no need for the President to have a say because they (ACF) are calling for an Arewa person to run for President. That means the Arewa person can run from any political party.”
The presidential spokesman said Tinubu was dedicated to tackling critical challenges currently facing the country, pointing to his recent participation in the G20 Summit in Brazil.
“The President is very much committed to ensuring we deal with hunger, extreme hunger and climate change problem. That is why he flew to Brazil to interface with the G20 dealing with global governance reform, and the global governance reform has now come up with a focus.
“The focus is on hunger, poverty, and climate change. That is what the President is focused on. The President is not focused on 2027.”
