By Joseph Edegbo
Less than one year in office as the duly elected Chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Gabriel Aduku was Tuesday removed by the leadership of the Forum, but no reason was given for the removal.
But reacting to questions from newsmen, ACF Spokesman, Prof. Tukur Muhammad-Baba said, “No ACF Chairman was “elected” as such. A set of persons were selected and presented but were never inaugurated.
“The list was reviewed by ACF’s Leadership Selection Committee; it’s the final list that was now presented, approved by the joint Assembly & inaugurated.
“Whosoever that wasn’t inaugurated today simply didn’t make it in the final list as presented by the Leadership Selection Committee.
Aduku was replaced by the newly selected Chairman, Mr. Mamman Mike Osman (SAN).
The statement which was issued by the ACF Spokesman said, “A joint meeting of the Board of Trustees (BOT) and the National Executive Council (NEC) of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) met at Kaduna on Tuesday, 12th December, 2023, to discuss matters of interest to the organisation.
Foremost before the meeting the endorsement of new leadership for ACF, which was approved and inaugurated the
Chairman, BOT, Alhaji Bashir Mohammed Dalhatu, Deputy Chairman, BOT, Senator Fred Orti, Vice Chairman, BOT, Amb. Ibrahim Mai Sule, Chairman, NEC, Mamman Mike Osman, Secretary General Alhaji Murtala Aliyu.
“The new Chairman, ACF’s NEC, Mr. Mamman M.Osuman, in his acceptance speech paid tribute to the founding members of ACF. The new NEC, he pledged, will reinvigorate a new ACF that will be different in outlook and impact as it seeks to contribute to national discourse on issues relevant to the Nigeria Project.
“The meeting also received a goodwill message from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. George Akume who also urged the ACF to provide the needed leadership for ushering a new Northern Nigeria in its bid to overcome the multi-faceted social and economic problems, as well as
for unity”.
However, Kogi East Elders Council (KEEC) as well as Arewa Youth Vanguard said they had earlier uncovered alleged plans by Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello to cause cracks in the leadership of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) with the intention to cause the removal of the chairman of the Forum, Gabriel Aduku.
The two independent bodies said in a separate press statements that governor Bello did not take it lightly the visit of ACF chairman to the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, shortly before the November 11, 2023 off-season election in Kogi State to request among others, the beefing up of security in the North and particularly, Kogi State, which was sliding into anarchy due to Insecurity.
However, when WhatsApp and SMS messages were sent to the Commissioner for Information & Communications, Kogi State, Mr. Kingsley Fanwo, he ignored the messages after he directed that, “Kindly resend the message on WhatsApp”, which our Correspondent did as requested.
Mr. Fanwo also did not pick his call when a telephone call was put across to him.
The KEEC statement was signed by its Secretary, Mr. Alphonsus Alhassan and made available to newsmen in Kaduna.
In a similar vein, the Arewa Youth Vanguard through its leader, Alhaji Abdulsamad Babayo advised the leadership of ACF not to play into the hands of governor Bello, saying the Forum will be sounding its own death knell if it plays into the hands of unscrupulous politicians.
“The attention of the Kogi East Elders Council (KEEC) has been drawn to the clandestine moves orchestrated by Alhaji Yahaya Bello, the out-going Governor of Kogi State, to mortally injure the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) through the unwarranted attempt to cause the premature and ill-advised removal of, its Chairman, Chief (Arc) Gabriel Yakubu Aduku who assumed the office of the august organization only recently.
“The Governor’s grouse with Chief Gabriel Aduku (who also doubles as the Acting Chairman, Kogi East Elders’ Council, (KEEC) was his visit to the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, shortly before the November 11, 2023 off-season election in Kogi State to request among others, the beefing up of security in the North and particularly, Kogi State, which was sliding into state-tolerated anarchy.
“During the visit, Chief Aduku also expressed grave concern about the security situation in Zamfara State and other parts of Northern Nigeria . His visit therefore, could not be termed as partisan by any fair-minded watcher of recent events in Nigeria .
“As Chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum, the entire 19 northern states fall under the purview of the ACF helmsman’s scrutiny and and it is part of his patriotic duty to consult individuals or groups anywhere in Nigeria to reposition the interest of the constituent parts of Arewa. Or, are we to assume that Kogi State is not covered by the sphere of ACF’s operations?
“If anything credit must infact, be given to the Aduku-led ACF for the relative security success enjoyed in Kogi State during the November 11, 2023 election. Were it not for that statesmanly and timely visit and the subsequent intervention of the military, only God knows how many persons would have been killed and maimed in Kogi State by thugs allegedly sponsored and unleashed on opponents and citizens by Yahaya Bello and his goons.
“In previous elections under this Governor, Police helicopters were deployed to unleash terror on voters at polling units by openly shooting at the electorate thereby scaring them away from exercising their franchise.
In addition, fake security personnel were all over the place, killing innocent voters, while ballot box snatching was the order of the day then.
“We also witnessed how vehicles carrying collated results were burnt down by alleged agents of Governor Yahaya Bello.
“His grouse therefore, is that the Chief Gabriel Aduku-led ACF’s appeal for the deployment of adequate security personnel scuttled his desperate plans of causing further anarchy in Kogi State during the recent election.
“In view of the foregoing, we call on all members of the Arewa Consultative Forum to rise above the divisive manipulations of one man to tear down this house that has taken several distinguished personalities of all ethnicities in Northern Nigeria and different faiths in the region to build, over the years.
“The Arewa Consultative Forum will be sounding its own death knell if it plays into the manipulative hands of unscrupulous politicians.
“Removing or attempting to remove Chief Gabriel Aduku because one governor’s untamed ego has been ruffled, will create a crack in the very fabric of Arewa Consultative Forum, a crack that it may never recover from.
“As elders, we urge you as fellow elders, to be temperate, logical and dispassionate in handling this contentious matter. Politicians come and go but this house must not be made to fall due to indiscretion orchestrated by an irrational megalomaniac.
“Do not embarrass the Forum by playing into the hands of an inexperienced youth who has squandered a golden opportunity to make his mark in life. Doing that would be a blight on the integrity of an august body like the Arewa Consultative Forum”. Kogi East Elders said.
Also, a statement by Arewa Youth Vanguard said, “Our attention has been drawn to overt and covert measures orchestrated by Alhaji Yahaya Bello, the outgoing Governor of Kogi State to mortally injure the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) through the unwarranted attempt to remove Chief Arc. Gabriel
Aduku, its Chairman who assumed the office only recently.
“In view of the foregoing, we call on all members of Arewa Consultative Forum to rise above the divisive manipulations of one man to tear down this house that has taken several distinguished personalities of all ethnicities in Northern Nigeria and different
faiths in the region to build over the years.
“Removing Chief Gabriel Aduku because one governor’s untamed ego had been ruffled will create a crack in the very fabric of Arewa Consultative Forum, a
crack that it may never recover from”.
News Editor