Alhaji Muhammad Lawal Tsafe, the Director General of ZACCIMA, revealed that the chamber had already conducted an election in line with its constitution. However, the announcement of results was abruptly halted after Ahmed Usman, the Director General of the Coalition of Northern States Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (CONSCCIMA), intervened. Tsafe accused the Zamfara State Ministry of Commerce of orchestrating irregularities by introducing a caretaker committee through its Permanent Secretary.
He expressed shock that the state government disregarded the election results and instead appointed a committee led by Dr. Hassan Buhari, the immediate past president of the chamber. Tsafe argued that ZACCIMA is an independent private-sector body and not an extension of the government. He insisted that the chamber’s constitution mandates that leadership transitions should follow a hierarchy, with the deputy president taking over in the absence of an elected leader.
In response, Dr. Hassan Buhari, the newly appointed caretaker committee chairman, denied any factional divisions within the chamber. He defended the government’s intervention, stating that it was necessary due to the presence of civil servants in key management positions and the prolonged tenure of the previous leadership, which violated ZACCIMA’s rules.
Buhari explained that the caretaker committee was formed to prevent the chamber from collapsing due to a leadership vacuum. He emphasized that the national body had approved the committee’s appointment, which would oversee the chamber’s affairs for six months before organizing fresh elections.
The dispute highlights tensions between the chamber’s autonomy and government influence, raising concerns about adherence to constitutional procedures in private-sector organizations.
