May 6, 2026
The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has accused the Forum’s Secretary General, Mallam Murtala Aliyu, of undermining the organisation following a dispute over tenure limits.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Chairman of the ACF BoT, Bashir M. Dalhatu, alleged that Aliyu had taken steps capable of weakening the Forum after the BoT moved to enforce constitutional provisions on leadership tenure.
Dalhatu said the Board’s actions were guided by its responsibility to ensure compliance with the ACF Constitution, particularly regarding term limits and orderly leadership succession.
“Recently, the Board of Trustees… took a number of steps which did not seem to have pleased some people, especially Mallam Murtala Aliyu, the Secretary General,” he said. “As a result, he has devoted a great deal of time and energy to pull down the entire ACF edifice.”
The BoT chairman explained that the ACF Constitution prescribes a single six-year tenure for BoT officials, while members of the National Executive Council (NEC) are limited to a three-year term, renewable once.
He disclosed that concerns over possible breaches of these provisions were raised earlier in the year through a petition submitted by a group identified as “Concerned Members,” which includes a former Secretary General, Anthony N.Z. Sani.
According to Dalhatu, the matter was deliberated at a BoT meeting held on April 23, 2026, where it was resolved that the tenure of certain officials who assumed office in March 2020 expired on March 10, 2026, having completed the maximum six years allowed.
The affected officials include Senator F. Orti, Deputy Chairman of the BoT; Ambassador Ibrahim Mai Sule, Vice Chairman of the BoT; Senator Ibrahim Ida, Deputy Chairman of the NEC; and Mallam Murtala Aliyu, Secretary General.
Dalhatu stated that the positions became vacant from March 10, 2026, noting that Aliyu had been granted time, at his request, to complete handover formalities by May 15, 2026.
However, he said Aliyu rejected the decision and remained the only affected official unwilling to step down.
“In a baffling twist of events… he is in his seventh year as Secretary General,” Dalhatu said, adding that Aliyu’s refusal to vacate office was contrary to the Forum’s constitution.
The statement further alleged that Aliyu convened an emergency meeting of the NEC scheduled for May 6, 2026, in a bid to overturn the BoT’s decision.
Dalhatu also dismissed claims of a leadership crisis within the ACF, insisting that the situation involved only one individual.
“If indeed there is any crisis, it revolves around one person who appears utterly desperate to remain in charge of affairs in the ACF,” he said.
The BoT chairman urged the public to disregard what he described as “negative propaganda,” maintaining that no financial impropriety had occurred within the Forum.
He explained that all funds in the ACF Endowment Fund had been properly accounted for and deposited, adding that oversight committees comprising respected individuals had been established to ensure transparency and accountability.
Dalhatu said the committees, chaired by Ambassador Hassan Adamu and supported by former Inspector General of Police, MD Abubakar, among others, were mandated to publish regular reports on their activities.
Efforts to obtain a response from Mallam Murtala Aliyu were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
