By Kingston Magare
Mohammed Lamido Sanusi II will return to his throne and palace after being reinstated as the Emir of Kano by Kano State governor Abba Yusuf on Thursday.
A court order issued by the Federal High Court sitting in Kano threatened to upend Sanusi’s return to the throne from which he banished by former Kano State governor Abdullahi Ganduje in March 2020. Sanusi was dethroned even as a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja declared the dethronement unlawful and unconstitutional.
Governor Yusuf signed on the Kano State Emirate Council Repeal Law 2024, and handed a letter of appointment to Lamido Sanusi Thursday. But a kingmaker, Alhaji Aminu Babba Dan Agundi filed an application at the Federal High Court sitting in Kano urging the court to stop the Kano State government from reinstating Sanusi as the Emir of Kano.
Sanusi led the Jumat prayers Friday and according to governor Yusuf, the former Central Bank of Nigeria governor would return to his emirate council to conduct his usual business. He dismissed the FHC Kano order saying that it was a backdoor judgement.
“An announcement shall be made later as to when he will move to the palace,” governor Yusuf said.
He added that individuals opposed to Sanusi’s return have been working to derail his reinstatement right before the Kano House of Assembly passed the bill.
“The Assembly members did their legislative duty and passed the bill into law. We met with law enforcement agencies and the kingmakers before I signed the law.
“All traditional office holders and title holders elevated or appointed to an office created under the repealed Principal law, dated 5th December 2019 shall revert to their position where such positions previously existed under recognised custom and traditions prior to the enactment of the repealed Principal Law dated 5th December 2019.”
“It is not a new stool, neither Sanusi is a new emir. The king has only returned home to his throne after it was balkanised. It has all along been his throne.”
Speaking on the FHC Court judgement made by Justice Mohammed Liman, governor Yusuf added: “The judge is in America, how can he sit in America and give order in Nigeria to stop a legitimate process? .
“It means they were already armed with the motion even before I gave assent to the bill passed by the State House of Assembly or at what time had they approached the court to obtain the order?”
Sanusi commended governor Yusuf and the Kano House of Assembly for having the courage to right a wrong.
“The Arabians used to say in everything that we are going to witness, there is a lesson that shows us that God is there. Whatever that is happening to an individual is preordained by Allah and to those that are sensible enough, it’s a lesson.
“My Governor and our assembly members, you will not understand the gravity of what you did for the history of Kano and the country at large. Among Kano Emirs, it started from Bagauda over 1000 years ago. In this year’s, it was once that we had Emir Muhammadu Koguna who was overthrown and he came back after some days. This shows that in 1000 years, there has been no case like what happened now.
“In the northern part of this country, we have seen in different states how politicians balkanised emirates with a state with one Emir becoming 20, some 19. In states of northern Nigeria, there are Local Governments with two or three first class Emirs all because the system has been destroyed.
“This thing that has been brought to Kano, had it been allowed, one day we will wake up with the Emir of Kumbotso, Bichi, Fagge and 44 Emirs. So what the government and the assembly did is a rescue mission.”
