Kano Emirship: Court nullifies Emir Sanusi’s reinstatement

On Thursday, a Federal High Court in Kano, nullified the reinstatement of Muhammadu Sanusi II as the 16th Emir of Kano. The court also nullified all the actions taken after the controversial reinstatement.

According to the presiding judge, Justice Abdullahi Liman: “I hereby order that every step taken by the government is hereby nullified and becomes null and invalid and that this does not affect the validity of the repealed Emirates Law but actions taken by the governor which include the assenting to the law and the reappointment of Sanusi.

“I have listened to the audio of the governor both in Hausa and English after assenting to the law, and I am convinced that the respondents are aware of the order of maintaining status quo pending the hearing and determination of the motions on notice in the court.

“Having been satisfied that the respondents are aware of the court order, the court, in the exercise of its powers, set aside an action because it is in violation of the court’s order, I think it is a very serious matter for anyone to flout the orders of the court and go scot free with it.”

He said the catastrophic situation could have been averted if the respondents followed due processes by complying with the court order, which would still have allowed them to carry out their assignments.

He noted that the respondents, however, decided to act according to their whims and caprices, a situation which he said landed them in a serious mess.

Earlier this week, a former governor of Kano State and presidential candidate of NNPP in the 2023 general election Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso as alerted that the APC LED federal government is orchestrating plans to cause havoc that will lead to a state of emergency in Kano State.

Source: Social media 

Kano: We’ll resist state of emergency – Kwankwaso accuses Nigerian Govt of causing insecurity

Kwankwaso

NNPP Presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections who is also former governor of Kano State and leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, has accused the government of Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu of compromising Kano security by their refusal to take away heavy operatives guarding the deposed Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero.

Kwankwaso also accused the Federal Government of attempting to create a new breed of terror group and insurgents in Northern Nigeria.

The NNPP led Kano State Government reinstated Emir Sanusi Lamido Sanusi who deposed under the APC LED government of Abdullah Ganduge.

Kano Emirate and the irony of innocence

By

abiodun KOMOLAFE 

There is a ticking time bomb in Kano and President Bola Tinubu has to move in quickly in a statesmanlike way to diffuse it. If centuries of upholding the tradition have brought peace to the ancient city just as we have in Ibadan, why uproot hundreds of years of history? Of course, that’s why Abdullahi Ganduje, the immediate past governor of Kano State, has to accept responsibility because he triggered this crisis.

Like it or lump it, Governor Abba Yusuf and former Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso also played politics. But then, Yusuf didn’t hide it, that he would remove Aminu Ado Bayero if he won the governorship election; and that promise enjoyed popular support among the people. For him therefore, he only sees Muhammadu Sanusi’s reinstatement as a fulfillment of a campaign promise and that’s what democracy is all about! Nonetheless, the irony of innocence is that nobody should be extricated from Kano’s current plight because they’re all involved!

Ganduje shouldn’t have deposed Sanusi and upset an Emirate structure that dates back to 1805. If God has structured everything to be in the right place, the former governor ought not to have kept repeating the same mistake. Instead, he should have tolerated the Emir and his excesses – real or perceived – just as former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala of Oyo State tolerated Lamidi Adedibu. Had he done that, the nonsense currently on rampage in Kano would have been avoided. It’s a real shame and how the state is going to get out of the quagmire will obviously now depend on the courts. One just hopes that the courts would now behave sensibly and do the needful.

The ‘wahala’ in Kano has again reinforced the urgent need for a constitutional court in Nigeria. Had there been one in place, the tendency is that it’d originate and get the matter resolved in a matter of weeks. Tragically however, the Akire stool in Osun State has sufficiently shown that only God knows the shape, size and duration of the search for justice. To put it succinctly therefore, unless God takes control, Kano is one case that’s destined to be rotating between ‘upandan’ and ‘dananup’ for a very long time to come. This is where we are and it is unfortunate!

The conflicting injunctions from the courts of concurrent jurisdictions and forum shopping by the counsels are also unhelpful as they have further de-marketed Nigeria’s judiciary which, already, is not taken seriously by the international community. One of the advantages countries like South Africa and Kenya have ahead of Nigeria is that the perception of their competitiveness is stronger than Nigeria because the world sees them as countries with very strong, independent judicial systems.

Now that the chickens have come home to roost, it becomes imperative for the gladiators to be cautious because it may be tempting for some people to contemplate a state of emergency in the state. Of course, that’d be dangerous because, unlike states like Plateau and Ekiti where a state of emergency was awarded and nothing to show for the show, Kano is a very politically explosive and threateningly sophisticated terrain. So, any government that will think of emergency rule in the state must first think of the country’s democracy which, even at 25, is still teething.

Let’s get it right, what is currently playing out in Kano is politics; and it’s always like that! From the deposition of Alaafin Adeniran Adeyemi II in 1955, to the dethronement of Oba Olateru Olagbegi in 1966, even the reduction of Oba Samuel Akinsanya’s annual salary to one penny by the Ladoke Akintola-led government in Western Nigeria, politics in this part of the world has always been a platform by the bourgeoisies and the capitalists to grab power, secure the spoils of office and pay back the favours that got them (s)elected; and it is the resources of the state that they’re leveraging. In the case of Kano, the only culprit is ambition. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with ambition. However, when ambition drowns deep in dirty politics and vain desires, it takes on an identity of significant tensions, and, if left unmanaged, the representations of its subconscious may have nothing to do with humanity.

Unlike Sanusi, that the dethroned Emir Bayero decided to return to Kano “amidst tight security” smirks of mischief and this is where Tinubu must rise above partisan politics by choosing the timing as well as what’s happening on the weather front before the crisis ultimately consumes everybody. Presently, it might look like a local Kano issue but a blowout is something that may ignite all kinds of hidden forces and, for a country already sitting on a powder keg, one cannot predict when, where or how it will end!

Let it be noted that, in terms of population and all kinds of social forces, Kano is ideologically and politically divided. Thus, any violence in the state may be another problem to contain because the country is already fragile. There could also be a domino effect in neighbouring states. Regrettably, Nigeria’s security forces are already overstretched and overstressed. Added to this is the lack of sophisticated munitions to prosecute the kind of war that’s already in our domain. So, it is a dicey situation!

The effect of the perception of Nigeria abroad – that the country has very weak institutions that can’t contain and diffuse this sort of thing – is already dire. So, Kano provides an opportunity for the president to prove the naysayers wrong! A mass showdown in a key state like Kano will not help Nigeria’s investment ratings for no man will want to invest in a country where his investments are not safe. A credit risk analyst who sits in London, analyzing the prospects of investments in Nigeria will definitely factor in a situation like Kano and come to the conclusion that the country’s climate is not conducive for investment and the spiral effects will not spare even those in Ijebu-Jesa in Osun State. All the more reason a government trying to attract investors must nip the tussle in the bud before the enthusiasm becomes uncontainable.

The beauty of the bash is that a template has already been set. But how have these ‘two-fighting’ distractions that politicians always use as a tool impacted the people and how has imposing or deposing monarchs improved the GDP level of our states? In Kano State, poverty level is very high and unemployment is also nothing to write home about. Come to think of it, state funds will be used to boost the egos of these monarchs, fight the battle in the law courts and underwrite security for those who have been deployed to keep the peace. So, what have the people gained? If Nigeria is truly a Republic, what are the roles of Obas, Obis and Emirs in this dispensation and what’s their centrality to the socioeconomic morass that is currently pushing the limit?

In practical terms, Kano is just part of the political economy that has sprung up to give Nigeria a disheveled appearance. It is nothing but a diversion of issues from the real issues of sustainable development and that’s part of what led to the abolition of the Maharajas and the Maharanis in India by Indira Gandhi and heavens did not fall! Of course, that’s what happens when people push their luck. That’s how it has been throughout history. Yes, that’s why the Bourbons are no longer on the throne in France. Pray that, one day, a power-drunk leader would not get to power only to make mincemeat of these excesses. After all, nothing lasts forever!

A word should be sufficient for the wise!

May the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, grant us peace in Nigeria!

 _•[email protected];_ 

 _•08098614418 - SMS only._ 

  

Sanusi Lamido Sanusi II arrives Kano government house for reinstatement as #EmirOfKano (PHOTOS)

 

Photos Credit: The Cable

Emir of Kano Sanusi Lamido Sanusi II Reinstated , His 7 key moments outside the throne

Sanusi Lamido Sanusi II has been reinstated as the Emir of Kano, following the Kano State House of Assembly's resolution to dismantle the four new Emirates established under a controversial 2019 law..

 Despite no official announcement, credible sources confirm Sanusi's reinstatement, marking a potential shift in traditional leadership dynamics amidst political maneuvering in Kano. 

7 key moments of Sanusi outside the throne by Daily Trust 

Muhammadu Sanusi II, the newly reinstated Emir and ex-Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, is a figure whose life has been marked by a blend of traditional authority and progressive thought.

Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State announced the appointment of Sanusi as the new Emir of Kano on Thursday.

He made the announcement after signing the new emirate council law at Government House, Kano.

The governor signed the law alongside his deputy, the Speaker of the State Assembly and other principal officers in the government.

Former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje had dethroned Sanusi in 2020, following a personal rift.

After his dramatic deposition in March 2020, Sanusi’s activities continued to capture public interest.

Here are seven key notable moments in Sanusi’s life outside the throne.

1. Banishment to Loko

Following his removal from the throne by the Kano State government, Sanusi was banished to Loko, a remote village in Nasarawa State, a move that was seen by many as a politically-motivated punishment.

Despite the challenging conditions in Loko, Sanusi remained composed, using the period of confinement for reflection and planning his next steps.

The legality of his banishment was widely contested, with many Nigerians seeing it as an infringement on his fundamental rights.

Eventually, a court ruling declared his detention illegal, and he was freed from confinement.

2. Academic Pursuits at Oxford

After his release from banishment, he accepted a fellowship at the University of Oxford.

At Oxford, Sanusi was appointed as a visiting scholar at the African Studies Centre of St. Antony’s College.

This opportunity allowed him to engage in academic discourse, research, and lectures, solidifying his role as a thought leader beyond the confines of traditional rulership.

3. Disputing ‘Former Emir’ title 

Another notable moment after his dethronement was Sanusi’s assertion that he should not be referred to as the “former emir.”

He argued that, in the tradition and culture of Kano, an emir remains an emir for life, regardless of their deposition.

He stated this in 2021 in Kaduna State, when Muhammad Sani “Dattijo” Abdullahi, the then Governor El-Rufai’s Chief of Staff, at the Kaduna Investment Summit, referred to Sanusi as the “former Emir of Kano.”

When Sanusi spoke afterwards, he publicly rebuked Abdullahi, indicating that calling him “former emir” was unacceptable and hinted at consequences for the chief of staff.

Sanusi’s remarks made it clear his ego was bruised by the title.

4. Mourning Herbert Wigwe

Sanusi showed his deeply emotional side when he publicly mourned the death of Herbert Wigwe, a close friend and former Chief Executive Officer of Access Bank.

In an emotional tribute, Sanusi described Wigwe as a visionary leader and a brother, highlighting the profound impact Wigwe had on his life and the banking industry.

A clip containing a part of the speech in which he was shading tears went viral and sparked a lot of reactions with many saying what Sanusi did illustrated the human side of a seemingly stern and unyielding public figure.

5. Advocacy for economic reforms

Post-deposition, Sanusi was vocal about Nigeria’s economic direction, leveraging his experience as a former Central Bank Governor.

He frequently critiqued government policies, calling for more sustainable economic reforms and better governance.

Sanusi’s speeches and writings often emphasized the need for transparency, accountability, and the eradication of corruption.

His persistent advocacy kept him in the limelight as a significant voice in Nigeria’s socio-economic discourse.

6. Role in the Kaduna Investment Promotion Agency

Sanusi’s commitment to economic development found a new avenue when he was appointed to the board of the Kaduna Investment Promotion Agency (KADIPA).

In this role, he was instrumental in attracting investments to Kaduna State, aiming to boost economic activities and create jobs.

7. Championing Girl Child Education

A long-time advocate for education, particularly for girls, Sanusi continued to champion this cause since leaving the throne.

He partnered with various organizations to promote educational initiatives and empower young girls.

His advocacy focuses on breaking the barriers that prevent girls from accessing education, such as child marriage and cultural stigmas.