Arewa Leaders Quash Purported Suspension of Chairman Amid Internal Power Struggle in Lagos State

Lagos Arewa leaders reaffirm Sa’adu Yusuf Dandare-Gulma as chairman. Read how the Board of Trustees quashed an unauthorized suspension attempt.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 10, 2026, 3:50 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Peoples Gazette

Reaffirmation of Leadership and Rejection of Factional Claims

The leadership of the Arewa community in Lagos has moved decisively to end a period of administrative uncertainty by confirming Sa’adu Yusuf Dandare-Gulma as their legitimate chairman. During a high-level stakeholders' meeting on Thursday, Mohammad Abubarkar-Bambado II, the leader of the Fulani community in Lagos, explicitly quashed reports of a suspension that had circulated among various factions. The intervention seeks to stabilize the group, which represents a significant demographic of Northerners residing in Nigeria’s commercial capital.

Procedural Violations and Board of Trustees Oversight

The controversy surrounding the chairmanship was described by community elders as a breach of constitutional protocol. Ibraheem Haruna, a Board of Trustees member and Arewa Apex Leader West 2, clarified that the board had no prior knowledge of any disciplinary action against the chairman. Haruna noted that certain individuals had taken the law into their own hands, issuing a suspension letter that lacked legal standing. He reiterated that the authority to discipline, suspend, or dissolve the executive body resides exclusively with the Board of Trustees.

Diplomatic Resolution of Internal APC Friction

The internal struggle appears rooted in tensions within the Arewa Community’s wing of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which recently culminated in a protest at the party's Lagos secretariat. Mai Kano Lawal, director of the Arewa Community Support Group 2023, dismissed the purge attempt as dead on arrival, insisting that leadership remains intact. Leaders have directed those responsible for the unauthorized suspension letter to retrieve the document and issue a formal affirmation of Dandare-Gulma’s authority to prevent further splintering of the political bloc.