ACF Suspends Board of Trustees Chairman Over Alleged Financial Misconduct

Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.

The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), the apex socio‑cultural organisation in northern Nigeria, has thrown its headquarters into a full‑blown governance crisis by suspending its Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman, Alhaji Bashir M. Dalhatu, over a crushing combination of alleged financial misconduct and direct breaches of the forum’s constitution. The unprecedented decision, taken at an emergency NEC meeting held in Kaduna on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, was accompanied by an order for a complete forensic audit of all the forum’s finances, a vote of no confidence in Dalhatu and an immediate condemnation of the police sealing of the ACF secretariat just hours before the gathering.

At the heart of the suspension is a bitter internal power struggle that pits the NEC against the BoT leadership, fuelled by disagreements over tenure limits, leadership succession, and allegations that Dalhatu overstepped his supervisory role by directly engaging in operational financial activities. According to the Ethics and Conduct Committee, which was set up after a petition alleging “serious infractions” against the BoT chairman, preliminary findings revealed multiple violations, including overreach of authority in matters reserved for other organs of the organisation. The committee chairman, Nuhu Muhammad Jamu, told journalists that Dalhatu was given 48 hours to respond to the allegations but failed to do so, leaving the panel with no choice but to proceed with available evidence. “While the chairman acted within his powers to summon the meeting, the BOT chairman’s decision to cancel it was not supported by any provision of the constitution,” Jamu explained.

To add to the gravity of the situation, the ACF’s Publicity Secretary, Professor Tukor Muhammad‑Baba, said the emergency NEC meeting was relocated to an alternative venue in Kaduna after armed police barricaded the forum’s headquarters on Sokoto Road. Delegates from 18 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory eventually gathered, passing a vote of no confidence in Dalhatu and ordering an immediate, comprehensive forensic audit of all finances, not just the controversial endowment fund. The police action was described as “unlawful interference” and a “violation of the constitutional right to association” by the ACF.

Dalhatu, however, has mounted a fierce defence, insisting that “there has been no financial infractions committed whatsoever at the level of the BoT. Every single kobo has been deposited safely in the bank.” In a sweeping rebuttal, he argued the real crisis has nothing to do with money but is an internal battle over tenure limits and leadership succession. He claimed that the BoT had earlier flagged constitutional breaches after a petition by “Concerned Members,” including former Secretary General Anthony Sani. Dalhatu accused the current Secretary General, Mallam Murtala Aliyu, of overstaying his tenure, claiming Aliyu is now in his seventh year despite a six‑year cap. According to Dalhatu, a BoT meeting on April 23, 2026, had already resolved that the tenure of officials who assumed office in March 2020 expired on March 10, 2026. Aliyu’s tenure was extended only to May 15, 2026, to allow for a smooth handover, but Dalhatu alleges that Aliyu has stubbornly refused to relinquish office.

Aliyu, for his part, dismissed those claims, stating that he 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, arguing that his 2023 re‑election renewed his mandate. The war of words has effectively paralysed the ACF, long seen as a unifying voice for the North, exposing a deep rift over who holds legitimate authority. The police sealing of the headquarters only added to the confusion, with the Kaduna State Police Command later clarifying that the barricade was to prevent a breakdown of law and order between two rival factions.

For the 66‑year‑old organisation, the crisis comes at a delicate time. The ACF has historically served as a platform for articulating northern interests, but the current scandal goes beyond mere gossip. The order for a forensic audit means that every financial transaction, especially those surrounding the forum’s 25th anniversary, which reportedly saw donations of around N9 billion, will be scrutinised. The fallout has already led to a declaration of vacancies for key positions. The NEC also passed a vote of confidence in the National Working Committee led by ACF Chairman Mamman Mike Osuman and reaffirmed Aliyu’s tenure as Secretary General, directly contradicting Dalhatu’s position.

Dalhatu remains defiant. He dismissed the suspension as an act of desperation by those who fear being removed from office. “In a baffling twist of events, Mallam Murtala Aliyu, now in his seventh year as secretary‑general, has rejected the resolution and continues to hold on to office,” he said, warning that the crisis revolves around one man who is “utterly desperate to remain in charge come rain, shine or high waters.” As the battle lines are drawn, the ACF stands at a crossroads, its leadership legitimacy now the subject of a public legal and administrative war. The suspended BoT chairman has vowed to challenge his removal, while the NEC is forging ahead with its audit and promises to pursue all issues of accountability.

The final chapter of this power struggle may well be written in the courts. For now, the ACF has been stripped of its ceremonial façade, and the question of who truly governs the forum is no longer a matter of quiet speculation. Whether the suspension of Bashir Dalhatu will heal the organisation or lead to its permanent fragmentation is a question now hanging over the entire Arewa Consultative Forum. What is certain is that the fight for control of the North’s most influential political body has only just begun.

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