Gov Abba Yusuf of Kano state has announced the reinstatement of Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi as the new Emir of Kano.
The Governor, who announced this after signing the new emirate council law passed by the Kano State House of Assembly on Thursday, has also given the incumbent Emir of Kano, Aminu Bayero, who was appointed by ex-Gov Ganduje 48 hours to hand over to Sanusi.
Four other incumbent emirs are to vacate their seats and revert to their former positions as district heads.
The governor signed the law at exactly 5:10pm alongside his deputy, the Speaker of the State Assembly and other principal officers in the government.
Addressing a media briefing after signing the law, Yusuf directed the other emirs sacked under the new law to vacate their official residences and palaces and hand over to the Commissioner of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs within two days.
Sanusi, a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), was appointed as the 14th Emir of Kano in June 2014 by the administration of former Gov Rabiu Kwankwaso, with Ganduje as deputy governor of the state before the latter eventually became governor in May 2015.
As Kano Emir, Sanusi fell out with the Ganduje administration over his outspoken nature.
He was deposed in March 2020 after the Kano State Emirs (Appointment and Deposition) Law was promulgated by the Ganduje administration in 2019, and four additional emirates were created – Rano, Karaye, Gaya, Bichi.
The then state government said he was removed “to safeguard the sanctity, culture, tradition, religion and prestige of the Kano emirate,” accusing the emir of “total disrespect” of institutions and the governor’s office.
But Sanusi’s supporters believed he was ousted for opposing Ganduje’s re-election in 2019.
Upon securing a second term mandate, Ganduje split the Kano emirate into five and appointed four more emirs – to weaken Sanusi’s influence.
Five years after his controversial removal as emir, the Kano State House of Assembly resolved to amend the law after Majority Leader Hussien Dala moved the motion during plenary.
“The need to revisit the Emirs Law has become imperative to address the issues that have arisen from the 2019 amendment.
“We must ensure that our traditional institutions are governed by laws that reflect fairness and justice,” Dala said.
On his part, the Speaker of the Kano House of Assembly, Jibril Falgore, promised to ensure that the process of amendment followed due process and transparency.
The law that booted Sanusi from office is known as the Kano State Emirs (Appointment and Deposition) Law. It was promulgated in 2019 by the Ganduje administration after having a running battle with the deposed emir.
Now, the parliament is controlled by the opposition New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
Earlier, NNPP 2023 presidential candidate (Kwankwaso) assured that the issue of Sanusi’s sack would be revisited.
Kwankwaso, the political mentor of the current governor, controls Kano, the north-western state known for its huge voting population.
