A possible tension looming in Bayero’s camp as Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has declared that Muhammadu Sanusi II will remain the Emir of Kano as controversies emerged following the governor’s defection from the New Nigeria Peoples Party to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
There have been speculations about the long-running Kano emirate crisis following the governor’s recent political alignment with the ruling APC. The questions being asked were whether the development would affect the fate of Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II.
However, in a latest development, according to Daily Trust, Governor Yusuf dismissed the speculation that his defection could lead to the removal of Sanusi and insisted that the position of the emir remained unchanged and secure.
Recall that for about two years, the state was locked in an unprecedented royal tussle with two people laying claim to the position of the Emir. Sanusi, a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has continued to operate at the historic Gidan Rumfa palace, while Aminu Ado Bayero ruled from the Nassarawa mini-palace. The two were supported by rival political groups.
Abdullahi Ganduje, the former national chairman of the APC, deposed Sanusi when he was the governor of Kano and replaced him with Bayero. However, Governor Yusuf reinstated Sanusi in May 2024. Governor Yusuf’s action followed the passing of the Kano State Emirates Councils (Repeal) Law 2024 by the state House of Assembly.
The law, which was passed under the governorship of Yusuf, abolished the five emirates that were created under the 2019 law, which was passed under the governorship of Ganduje. The law was widely considered as the instrument for the removal of Sanusi.
Following the repeal of the law, the present administration restored the single-emir structure of Kano and removed Bayero and other first-class emirs, who were appointed under the Ganduje administration. Despite the development, Bayero had continued to lay claim to the throne. He was said to be enjoying security backup as well as tacit recognition from some federal authorities.
In a sharp turn of events on Monday, January 26, Governor Yusuf officially joined the APC and aligned with Ganduje. A development which has raised the question of the possibility of Sanusi being removed again.
However, Sanusi Bature, the director general of media and publicity to Governor Yusuf, in an interview with Weekend Trust, speaking on behalf of the governor, explained that there was “absolutely no plan or agreement” that would lead to the sack of Sanusi.
His statement further reads: “There is no plan to replace Emir Sanusi on the throne of Kano. “The appointment of the emir was done after the emirates’ law had been repealed, and there is no plan at the executive level for any further amendment.”
