The pathway to peace in the Kano Emirate Council crisis is still bumpy.
While none of the actors has agreed to shift ground, their supporters have also taken the hardline position.
Even voices from unusual quarters have joined the fray, calling on the Kano State government to respect the rule of law.
Yesterday, supporters of the dethroned Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero took to the streets in a peaceful protest. They began the peaceful protest after praying for the dethroned monarch.
Similarly, a section of traders in the state joined the supporters of the sacked emir to call on the state government to obey the court order restraining the reinstatement of Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II.
In fact, Bauchi-based Islamic scholar, Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi, has called on parties to respect the Federal High Court’s decision which ordered the maintenance of the status quo in the emirship tussle involving the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, and the dethroned Emir, Muhammadu Sanusi II.
The renowned Sheikh, who spoke through the chairman of the Dahiru Bauchi Islamic Foundation, Sheikh Ibrahim Dahiru Bauchi, in a press conference in Bauchi on Sunday, urged Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to abide by the Federal High Court ruling that parties in dispute should observe the status quo pending the determination of the substantive case.
Governor Yusuf had, through a law earlier Wednesday passed by the State House of Assembly, sacked the Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, and announced the reinstatement of the 2019 dethroned Emir, Muhammadu Sanusi II, a situation that brought two serving emirs in one emirate into play.
Sheikh Bauchi explained that Governor Yusuf should take into cognizance that it is through a court procedure he assumed the mantle of leadership in Kano State.
He also asked critical stakeholders in Kano to chart a way forward for the settlement of the imminent legal and leadership dispute in the state, saying none of them could rule or lead a community without peaceful co-existence.
The Sheikh said, “Nobody could rule or become a leader without adherence to the rule of law, so I am urging all those involved in the dispute to think outside the box for amicable settlement.
“In the interest of peace, we want justice to prevail; since the court intervenes to maintain law and order, we expect each party to respect the rule of law in the interest of peace.”
He faulted the Kano State Government’s decision to continue with the process of appointing the 16th emir of Kano and dethroning the five emirs despite the court injunction.
Sheikh Ibrahim also urged the National Assembly to amend the constitution and make laws that will protect traditional rulers from the politicians who dethrone them or appoint them at their pleasure.”
Meanwhile, scores of the supporters of the dethroned emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, have performed a special prayer seeking Allah’s intervention in the current battle for the Kano Emirate.
The prayer took place Sunday afternoon at the gate of the Nasarawa Palace from where the participants marched along the state road to register their grievance. They also made bonfires with disused car tyres on the road. The short protest march lasted about 20 minutes and was immediately put out.
One of the protesters, Mujahid Ilyasu, a Kano resident, told newsmen that they were calling on the Kano State government to comply with the court order on the issue of amendment of the Emirate Law that scrapped the five Emirates in the state.
“As you can see, we are here standing and protesting, calling on the state government to respect the court and obey the court order. They should not impose an Emir on the people against their interest.
“It is the court that brought them to power but now they don’t want to respect the court when it issues an order.
“On the issue of the amended Emirate law, they made a mistake. They only dealt with the issue of dissolving the new Emirates but failed to address the issue of appointing another Emir, until they notice the mistake and correct it later,” he said.
However, few minutes after the protest began, the prayer ground was cleared of people by the security personnel who continued to guard the dethroned Emir.
LEADERSHIP had reported that the Kano State House of Assembly on Thursday passed a bill that scrapped the five Emirates founded by the immediate past government of Abdullahi Ganduje. The bill was assented to by the Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf on the same day.
However, a Federal High Court in Kano issued a court order stopping the dissolution of the five Emirates.
The amended law reverted to the former one Kano Emirate system with the former Central Bank Governor, Muhammadu Sanusi II, returned as the Emir of Kano.
Meanwhile, the dethroned Emir Aminu Bayero, who was out of Kano as of the time the amendment of the law took place, came back to Kano and occupied the second palace called the Nasarawa Palace, along state road in the outskirts of the main city of Kano.
He was escorted by heavily armed soldiers who have been guarding him since he returned. The police had earlier defied the governor’s instruction to arrest him for threatening the peace of the state.
Lawyers Warn Of Legal Consequences
Lawyers in the country yesterday warned of the consequences of not allowing the rule of law to prevail in the Kano Emirate crisis.
The lawyers who spoke to LEADERSHIP said the state should not be set on fire because of the ambition of some selfish politicians.
Abdul Balogun, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, said if the order was issued before the law was amended by the state House of Assembly and they are fully aware of it, it should be respected and every action taken after the order was issued is a nullity.
He said, “There are two sides to the story: while some said the order was issued before the law in the state was amended, and if that is the case, it should be respected. But, most importantly, the politicians and leaders in the state should be careful not to destroy the traditional institution in the state and set the state on fire. ”
A constitutional lawyer, Oghenovo Items, also warned of the consequences of not allowing the rule of law to prevail.
According to him, the crisis that has characterised the ancient city’s traditional stool can still be resolved without resorting to self-help.
He said, “From the information available, the House had passed the law and the governor had also assented to it before the court order came, so, if that is the case, it is of no effect. The order was supposed to have been made before the House sat to amend the law and also before the governor gave his assent. If what the commissioner of information said is anything to go by, then, the order cannot be valid.”
Another lawyer, Barrister Audu A. Bilal, said as its stands, there are two persons laying claim to the traditional stool in the state.
“What they need to do is to go back to the court to decide the issue one way or the other,” he said.
NSA threatens lawsuit against deputy governor
National Security Adviser (NSA) Mallam Nuhu Ribadu has demanded an immediate retraction of the claims and an apology from the deputy governor of Kano State, Comrade Aminu Abdussala Gwarzo, over allegation that he facilitated the return of the deposed emir, Ado Bayero, to the state after he was removed.
Ribadu said the retraction and apology must be published in the media widely according to his lawyers and failure to do so will result in alternative measures as the deputy governor is covered with immunity to be sued.
This followed comments made by the deputy governor on the situation involving the reinstated Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II and Ado Bayero who was dethroned last Thursday and asked to hand over to the commissioner for chieftaincy affairs by Governor Abba Yusuf.
The deputy governor had said, “The former governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, is not happy with the peace and understanding being enjoyed in Kano and is using the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) to deploy security personnel to subvert the will of Kano people and to bring something the people don’t like.
“The national security adviser has provided two planes to bring the former Emir to Kano. What we failed to understand is the reason behind his action. The intent is to kill and destroy properties because they are not from Kano,” he said.
But Ribadu denied the allegations through his spokesperson Zakari Mijinyawa and took a step further to clear his name.
A letter by his lawyers of Aliyu & Musa Chambers said Ribadu has demanded apology from the deputy governor.
It reads, “We act as solicitors to Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, who at present occupies the exalted position of the national security adviser (our client) and on whose instruction we write this letter.
“The attention of our client was drawn to a video clip being shared on different social media platforms wherein you granted an interview at Emir’s Palace in Kano on Saturday, May 25, 2024, in a very calm atmosphere, and without any provocation whatsoever, falsely accusing our client of using his office to kill the people of Kano State and maim their properties. In the clip, you were shown to be saying in Hausa.
“Your false accusations against our client portraying his office as an appendage of a political party and a willing tool to cause chaos in Kano is false and done with the intention of damaging the hard-earned reputation of our client in the eyes of the right-thinking members of the society and indeed it has succeeded in doing so.
“In all the places he has served, our client has never been accused of any wrongdoing. Given this illustrious background, it is inconceivable that someone would harbour the thought that our client would descend his exalted office so low as to interfere in the local tussle of the Kano Emirate”
