Kano LEADS warns against attempts to weaken ACF

The Kano Leadership, Enlightenment and Advocacy for Development (Kano LEADS) Initiative has cautioned against what it described as orchestrated attempts to weaken the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) through sensational commentary and media manipulation. In a statement signed by its President/Convener, Barr. Aisha I. Dankani (MFR, mni), and Secretary-General, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq Umar, the group said […]

The Kano Leadership, Enlightenment and Advocacy for Development (Kano LEADS) Initiative has cautioned against what it described as orchestrated attempts to weaken the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) through sensational commentary and media manipulation.

In a statement signed by its President/Convener, Barr. Aisha I. Dankani (MFR, mni), and Secretary-General, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq Umar, the group said recent publications targeting the ACF Board of Trustees and its Chairman, Wazirin Dutse, Alhaji Bashir Dalhatu, were “contrived narratives” aimed at discrediting respected Northern elders.

The statement noted that while commentators have focused on dramatic metaphors and headlines, they have ignored constitutional questions and allegations of financial mismanagement linked to a former Secretary whose tenure had expired.

“Rather than quietly respect institutional processes, the former Secretary and elements within the NEC chose to manufacture a needless storm in a teacup,” the group alleged, adding that the controversy was designed to divert attention from deeper issues of accountability.

Kano LEADS argued that the ACF, under Dalhatu’s leadership, has regained credibility and relevance through bridge-building, consultations, and advocacy on critical developmental challenges facing Northern Nigeria.

According to the statement, attempts to delegitimise the BOT leadership were linked to fears over the growing influence of the ACF ahead of the 2027 political season.

“The North today faces profound developmental and security challenges. That reality requires stronger institutions, not the destruction of legacy platforms through sensationalism and selective outrage,” the group stressed.

Kano LEADS reaffirmed its confidence in Dalhatu’s leadership, describing him as a stabilising figure whose moderation and bridge-building have repositioned the Forum at a critical moment in the region’s history.