Sola
The Kano State House of Assembly is set to finalize a bill that could significantly alter the structure of the Kano Emirate Council and Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf is expected to assent to the bill as soon as it is passed.
The Guardian reports that the lawmakers will reconvene today to take a final decision on the amended Emirates Council bill.
Security forces heavily guarded the Assembly building yesterday as lawmakers debated the legislation. The bill, sponsored by the ruling New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), seeks to undo the creation of four additional emirates in 2019. The leading opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), allowed the bill to pass its initial reading.
The Kano State Emirates Council (Amendment No. 2) Law, 2024, was sponsored by the Majority Leader and member representing the Dala Constituency, Lawan Hussaini Chediyar Yan Gurasa.
The Kano State Emirates Council Law 2019, which created five new emirates, was first signed into law by former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje on December 5, 2019. Governor Yusuf assented to an amendment to the law on October 14, 2020, and signed another amendment on April 11, 2023.
Section 3(1) of the law established five distinct emirates: Kano, Bichi, Rano, Gaya, and Karaye. Kano and Karaye each have jurisdiction over eight local government areas, Bichi and Gaya each have nine, and Rano has jurisdiction over ten of the 44 local councils in the state.
When Emir Muhammadu Sanusi, who chaired the council, was deposed on March 9, 2020, the law was amended to state: “There shall be the chairman of the council who shall be the emir of Kano Emirate.”
Section 12 provides that the governor may grade the office of an emir as first, second, or third class, subject to the approval of the House of Assembly.
A principal officer of the assembly, who preferred to remain anonymous, said, “No force can stop the assembly from amending the law.”
“We were ready for this long ago, and only God can stop this amendment. We wanted all these emirs to go 20 days after this administration was inaugurated, but here we are. So, tomorrow (today) there will be a special session of the assembly to consider and pass the amendment.”
However, the minority leader of the assembly, Abdul Labaran Madari, told BBC Hausa Service that 12 APC members in the assembly were not opposed to the amendment, provided that none of the five emirates would be dissolved and the Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, would not be deposed and replaced with Muhammad Sanusi.
He mentioned that although the NNPP lawmakers in the assembly have the numbers to effect the amendment, the opposition members would express their dissent.
Madari claimed that the ruling party had perfected its plan to dissolve Bichi Emirate and reinstate the deposed Emir Sanusi.
