The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), a prominent northern Nigerian advocacy group, has called for collective cooperation to ensure peaceful and credible national elections in 2027. The appeal was made by ACF Chairman Mamman Mike Osuman during the organization’s 79th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Kaduna.
Osuman urged citizens to prioritize civic education and adherence to national laws, stating that the current political discourse is narrowly focused on electoral strategy rather than addressing critical regional issues like out-of-school children, poverty, hunger, and escalating insecurity from kidnappings, banditry, and terrorism. He expressed concern that many elected and appointed officials remain disconnected from the ACF’s developmental objectives, though he acknowledged some have offered support.
The ACF’s operational framework involves a National Working Committee that reviews issues before presenting them to the NEC, which is tasked with policy formulation and program implementation through its various committees. Osuman emphasized that the organization’s approach must be sincere and centered on the needs of marginalized communities, not on selfish or primordial interests.
The chairman highlighted severe and growing security challenges across the north, citing terrorism, armed banditry, and kidnappings in states including Kwara, Kaduna, Katsina, and Benue. These crises have caused massive displacement, leading to overcrowded camps with inadequate services, heightened malnutrition, and mortality. School closures have disrupted education, while rural economies, travel, and access to farming and healthcare have been severely compromised. “Insecurity has deepened to such an extent that external military assistance has been required,” Osuman stated.
The ACF’s statement underscores the intersection of political preparation and humanitarian crisis in northern Nigeria as the nation looks toward the 2027 electoral cycle. The group’s call for civic responsibility and an issue-based political focus aims to redirect attention toward the region’s profound developmental and security emergencies. The appeal places pressure on both the public and political class to prioritize stability and welfare in the coming years, framing peaceful polls as inseparable from addressing the daily realities of violence and displacement.
