Police operatives sealed the Arewa Consultative Forum headquarters along Sokoto Road in Kaduna on Tuesday, ahead of a planned National Executive Council meeting scheduled for 6th May 2026. The barricading began by 7 p.m., with police vehicles stationed at the entrance, preventing movement in and out of the facility. The meeting was to be convened by Barrister Mamman Mike Osuman, SAN, the NEC Chairman, who claimed constitutional authority under Section 13(1)(a) and (b) of the ACF Constitution to call such gatherings. Osuman alleged that Alhaji Bashir Dalhatu, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, acted beyond his powers by countermanding the meeting and issuing threats to members. Dalhatu, in a statement titled 'Re-notice of emergency ACF-NEC meeting; please stay away,' declared the meeting illegal, arguing that Secretary-General Malam Murtala Aliyu, a former minister and Matawallen Gombe, had no authority to call it as his tenure had ended. Kaduna State Police Command, through DSP Mansur Hassan, stated it deployed personnel solely to prevent a breakdown of law and order, citing two conflicting letters and intelligence about rival factions planning meetings. A member of the NEC confirmed being locked inside the building, describing the situation as "a sacrilege." The crisis, rooted in disputes over leadership tenures and control of a N3.9 billion endowment fund, intensified after General Haliru Akilu (rtd) declared the terms of several NEC and BoT members expired. There were unconfirmed suggestions of Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Muhammadu Sa'adu Abubakar III's intervention, but Sultanate Council Secretary Alhaji Sa'idu Maccido said he was unaware of any such role, noting the Sultan was out of the country.
Bashir Dalhatu claims Mamman Mike Osuman's meeting is invalid due to expired tenures, yet he continues to act as BoT Chairman despite the same expiry. If leadership mandates have lapsed across the board, his authority to block the meeting is equally void. This undermines the credibility of all decisions taken by either faction since then. Nigerians named in the dispute can no longer claim institutional legitimacy while operating outside their constitutional timelines.
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