Sola
The Kano State House of Assembly has dethroned Aminu Ado Bayero, the 16th Fulani Emir of Kano, and four other first-class chiefs established by former Governor Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
Those dethroned alongside Bayero are the Emir of Bichi and Aminu’s younger brother, Alh. Nasiru Ado Bayero; Emir of Gaya, Alh. Aliyu Abdulkadir; Emir of Karaye, Dr. Abubakar Ibrahim; and Emir of Rano, Kabiru Mohammed Inuwa.
The removal of the five emirs followed the state legislature’s passing of a bill on Thursday repealing the 2019 Kano Emirates Council Law, which prohibited the existence of all instruments that established the five emirates.
Consequently, the assembly enacted the Kano State Emirates Councils (Repeal) 2024 bill, restoring the emirate council back to its original status.
As a result, the deposition of Muhammadu Sanusi II by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is now nullified. Additionally, the repeal law orders the demotion of Aminu Ado Bayero to his former district head status.
According to the repeal law of 2024, “All appointments made by former Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje in the five new emirates under the repealed principal law, dated December 5th, 2019, are hereby abrogated.”
Similarly, the repealed bill provides for the restoration of traditional titles and officeholders elevated or appointed under the repealed Principal Law, dated December 5th, 2019.
The repealed law designates the Governor as the sole authority to take all necessary measures to restore the status of the Kano Emirate System to its positions prior to the enactment of the repealed Principal Law dated December 5th, 2019.
The assembly has also outlined the responsibility of overseeing all traditional arrangements, including dealing with assets and liabilities of the abolished emirates, including the new structures created under the repealed principal law dated December 5th, 2019, to the office of the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
Sanusi may returnMeanwhile, the North-based LEADERSHIP newspaper reports that a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Sanusi Lamido Sanusi II, has been reinstated as the Emir of Kano.
Quoting unnamed ‘credible sources’, the newspaper said Sanusi II, who was dethroned as Emir of Kano by Governor Yusuf’s predecessor, Ganduje, on March 9, 2020, is expected in Kano on Friday.
The restructuring of the Kano Emirate by the Ganduje administration was viewed as a political move to reduce the influence of the then Emir Sanusi II, a vocal critic of the former Ganduje administration.
Dethroned Emirs not in town
Meanwhile, Emir Aminu Ado Bayero, who succeeded Sanusi, is reportedly currently out of town.
Ado Bayero paid a visit to Oba Sikiru Adetona, the Awujale of Ijebuland, on Wednesday.
Accompanied by his retinue of aides and chiefs, Bayero visited the Awujale in Ijebu-Ode to extend felicitations on the occasion of the first-class traditional ruler’s 90th birthday celebration and 64th year on the throne.
During his visit, Bayero expressed his admiration for the Awujale, stating, “Awujale has been a significant figure for 64 years, and it’s a privilege to still have people like him around at 90. He shares a close relationship with my late father, which is why I regard him as my father as well. Thus, visiting him to extend greetings and seek his blessings is an experience I deeply appreciate.”
Also, Alhaji Nasiru Ado Bayero, the Emir of Bichi and younger brother of the Kano Emir is also reported to be out of Kano, with reports claiming the monarch has travelled abroad.
Additionally, the whereabouts of the Emirs of Rano, Karaye, and Gaya remain unknown at the time of filing this report.
