The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Kano State Chapter, has distanced itself from comments made by Prof. Muhammad Tukur, a member of its National Executive Committee, during an interview with BBC Hausa on President Bola Tinubu’s candidature.
Dr Goni Faruk-Umar, Chairman of the ACF in Kano, stated this while briefing newsmen on Wednesday in Kano.
He explained that the remarks were personal to Tukur and did not represent the official position of the forum.
“Following consultations with the leadership at the national level and the National Chairman, we confirm that no such position has been formally taken by the forum,” Faruk-Umar said.
He expressed regret that this was not the first time such incidents occurred, recalling that before the last presidential election, another member made political statements that were wrongly perceived as the ACF’s stance.
“This recurrence is unfortunate and unethical, as it undermines the credibility, neutrality, and unity of the forum. We condemn in strong terms the attempt to pass off personal views as the position of the ACF,” he said.
According to him, the ACF remains a non-partisan socio-cultural body committed to promoting unity, peace, dialogue and socio-economic development of Northern Nigeria and the country at large.
He urged all executive members to maintain proper communication, respect due process and strictly abide by the forum’s rules and regulations so as to preserve the integrity of the forum.
Faruk-Umar also advised the public, political stakeholders and the media to disregard the BBC Hausa interview as it did not represent the collective voice of the ACF.