A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alwan Hassan, has claimed that the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) is made up of people loyal to former vice president, Atiku Abubakar.

Hassan stated this while reacting to an accusation from the Forum claiming that President Bola Tinubu’s government is neglecting the north.

However, speaking during an appearance on Channels Television, Hassan described the ACF as an opposition group.

The APC chieftain disclosed that they had battled ACF under the late President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

When asked if there is a wedge between the current government and Northern Nigeria, the APC chieftain said, “No, this group of people, the ACF, are opposition. We have tackled them, we have battled them under late president Muhammadu Buhari and we will still do it this time.

“The groups are supposed to be leaders, but now are political. These are Atiku’s people. I’ve seen them. We know the people that have joined them, a lot of people that are aggrieved in the party of APC, have joined the ACF.

“It has its political angles all the time. They are not for the northern Nigeria.”

Meanwhile, Atiku has faulted the House of Representatives bill proposing the establishment of the Political Parties Registration and Regulation Commission (PPRRC), warning that creating another public institution would only add to Nigeria’s financial burden.

Naijaonpoint reports that the bill, co-sponsored by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas and Marcus Onobun (Esan Central/Esan West/Igueben Federal Constituency, Edo State), is currently before the House Committee on Constitution Review.

It seeks to amend Sections 40, 81, 84, 153, 222, 225, 226, 228, and the Third Schedule of the Constitution to empower the PPRRC to register, regulate, monitor, and oversee the finances, internal democracy, primaries, and general operations of political parties in Nigeria.

According to its explanatory memorandum, the bill aims to “reduce the burden on INEC and allow the PPRRC to focus squarely on regulating registration, dissolution and monitoring of the operations of political parties to ensure order, transparency and a level playing field.”

Speaking with Punch on Tuesday through his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, Atiku acknowledged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is overstretched with responsibilities, which has affected its capacity to conduct free, fair and credible elections.

“INEC is biting more than it can chew. Some of the tasks it is saddled with give room for a lot of distraction. As good as it is to relieve the umpire of these tasks, the way to go is not to establish another commission,” Atiku said.

Instead, he suggested that existing agencies, such as the National Identity Management Commission, could be empowered to handle party registration and monitoring without duplicating functions.

The former Vice President stressed that Nigeria needs a stronger and more efficient INEC rather than setting up another costly institution.

“Nigeria needs a well-structured INEC that is efficient in service delivery. We don’t need to establish another commission to replicate functions that already existing institutions can perform,” he added.