‘North Will Back Only Northern Candidate In 2027 Election’ – ACF suspends chairman over election comments
November 22, 2024
By Samuel Ogunsona
The prominent Northern Socio-cultural group, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), has suspended its National Executive Council (NEC) Chairman, Mamman Mike Osuman over 2027 election comments.
The suspension comes after Osuman made a controversial statement that the North would only support a northern candidate in the 2027 presidential election.
According to reports, Osuman made the statement during a NEC meeting held at the ACF headquarters in Kaduna on Wednesday, November 2024.
However, the ACF leadership has distanced itself from Osuman’s comments, stating that they were made without consulting or discussing with other leaders and members of the ACF.
In a statement released on Thursday, the ACF Chairman of Board Trustees, Alh Bashir Muhammad Dalhatu, and National Secretary, Alh Murtala Aliyu, emphasized that Osuman’s comments reflected his personal opinion only.
The statement noted that the ACF leadership was not aware of Osuman’s intentions to make such comments, and therefore, they cannot be held responsible for his actions.
The statement stressed that “Our attention 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 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”, it added.
The ACF has assured its members and the general public that it will continue to promote unity, peace, and development in the northern region, regardless of individual opinions or biases.