The national executive committee (NEC) of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has suspended Bashir Dalhatu, chairman of its board of trustees (BoT), over alleged financial misconduct and constitutional breaches.
The NEC suspended Dalhatu on Wednesday at an emergency meeting held in Kaduna, where delegates from 18 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) were in attendance.
Speaking with journalists after the meeting, Tukur Muhammad-Baba, ACF spokesperson, said the venue for the NEC meeting was changed after police sealed the forum’s secretariat on Sokoto Road.
However, Mansir Hassan, police spokesperson in Kaduna, said the secretariat was sealed to avert a breakdown of law and order.
The crisis within the forum follows disagreements over the tenure of office of some officials.
Trouble began when Dalhatu raised concerns about the expiration of the tenure of certain officeholders, including Murtala Aliyu, ACF’s secretary-general.
Reacting in a statement, Dalhatu cited the provisions of the ACF constitution, which stipulate a single six-year tenure for BoT members, while NEC members serve a three-year term, renewable once.
He added that the BoT had earlier received a petition from ‘concerned members’ alleging breaches of the constitution.
Dalhatu said the matter was deliberated at a BoT meeting held on April 23, 2026, where it was resolved that the tenure of officials who assumed office in March 2020 expired on March 10, 2026.
He listed those affected as F. Orti, deputy chairman of the BoT, Ibrahim Sule, vice-chairman of the BoT, Ibrahim Ida, deputy chairman of the NEC, and Aliyu, the secretary-general.
According to Dalhatu, Aliyu’s tenure was extended to May 15, 2026, to allow for a smooth handover, alleging that he refused to relinquish office.
He noted that Aliyu is the only affected official resisting the resolution.
“In a baffling twist, Mallam Murtala Aliyu, now in his seventh year as secretary-general, has rejected the resolution and continues to hold on to office,” Dalhatu said.
He also said efforts were made to resolve the dispute amicably, including a meeting of elders convened by Haliru Akilu and Mahmud Ahmed on April 21, 2026.
Dalhatu further alleged that Aliyu escalated the crisis by convening the May 6 emergency NEC meeting to overturn the BoT’s resolution.
Despite the allegations against him, Dalhatu dismissed claims of financial misappropriation, maintaining that funds under the ACF endowment were transparently managed.
Responding to the allegation, Aliyu said his tenure remains valid, citing due process and documented reappointment.
“I was appointed secretary in March 2020, inaugurated in August 2020, re-elected in July 2023, and inaugurated in December 2023. I have documents to support all these,” he said.
He added that his 2023 re-election renewed his mandate, which contradicted claims that his tenure had expired.