Arewa Youth Assembly expels its speaker for criticising Buhari's economic policies

NORTHERN socio-cultural group the Arewa Youth Assembly (AYA) has expelled its speaker Mohammed Salihu Danlami for criticising the economic policies of President Muhammadu Buhari and the Central Bank of Nigeria governor Godwin Emefiele.

Seen as a pressure group that supports the Buhari administration, AYA has launched attacks at southern bodies that have opposed the government in the past. In a dramatic development today, the association  expelled Mr Danlami, advising him and his patrons to look elsewhere for a new target as Mr Emefiele was a wrong target.

AYA spokesman Adamu Muhammad Funtua, revealed that Tahir Muhammad Azare has been appointed as the group's new speaker. He added that Mr Danlami’s actions were contrary to AYA'S aims and objectives.

Mr Funtua said: “The Arewa Youths Assembly has impeached and expelled her former speaker, Mohammed Salihu Danlami, sacked over a statement in which he attacked President Muhammadu Buhari’s economic agenda and maligned the person and office of the Central Bank governor Mr Godwin Emefiele. Danlami, despite resolution of the leadership of the assembly not to use the platform for political plots, went ahead to use the name of the group for ulterior motives.

“We have since reliably gathered that the smear campaign against Emefiele was being sponsored by some faceless prominent Nigerians who want to have their cronies in charge of the apex bank so that they can continue to loot the nation’s treasury unabated and to use funds from the bank to bankroll their vaulted political ambitions. As a responsible youth organisation, we find it ridiculous, shameful and embarrassing that Salihu Danlami can drag the good name of our group into this mess.”