THE Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has reinstated Lamido Sanusi as Emir of Kano state and presented him with an appointment letter on Friday, May 24, 2024, despite an existing court order to the contrary.
The letter was issued at the Kano State Government House on Friday.
“By the powers conferred on me by the Kano Emirate Council Law of 1984 and 2024, and supported by the recommendation of the kingmakers, I have the singular pleasure to confirm the reappointment of Muhammadu Sanusi II as the Emir of Kano and the head of the Kano Emirate Council,” the governor said.
The reinstatement comes four years after the previous administration deposed Sanusi under Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, who created four additional emirates in the state.
However, the State Assembly finalised the amendment of the existing emirates law during plenary on Thursday, May 23, 2024, thereby dethroning the existing emirs.
The bill revived the single emirate system in the state, vesting constitutional powers to appoint a new emir in the State Governor Abba Yusuf alone.
The governor then announced the reinstatement of Muhammadu Lamido Sanusi as the 14th Emir of Kano state on Thursday.
Earlier, a Federal High Court in Kano issued an order stopping the government from enforcing the Kano State Emirate Council Repeal Law, which abolished the five emirates and gave room for Sanusi’s reinstatement.
But this ruling was ignored by the governor, who alleged that the High Court Judge Mohammed Liman passed the judgment while in America. He also threatened to report Liman to the Nigeria Governor’s Forum.
Protesters storm Abuja against reinstatement
Meanwhile, protesters stormed the streets of Abuja on Friday to express displeasure over Sanusi’s reinstatement.
The protesters also called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the ongoing crises regarding the emirate in Kano.
They carried banners saying that the governor was desecrating the Northern Traditional Institution for political vendetta. Some of the banners also suggested that Kwankwaso and his supporters were orchestrating the development to cause trouble in the state.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via vopara@icirnigeria.org or @ije_le on Twitter.