There has been deafening silence in the camp of the All Progressives Congress (APC) national chairman, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, as his successor, Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf reinstated the dethroned Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II on Thursday.
Sanusi, a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), was removed from office by former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2014 for alleging a controversial non-remittance of a $20 billion statutory fund into the federal government’s accounts by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), a claim the then administration refuted.
In the same year, the then Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, appointed Sanusi to succeed his granduncle, Ado Bayero, as the Emir of Kano.
However, Kwankwaso’s successor and former ally, Ganduje, had in 2019 assented to a bill passed by the Kano House of Assembly which split the Kano Emirate Council into five emirates, whittling down the powers of Sanusi.
In 2020, the Ganduje administration dethroned Sanusi for disrespecting lawful instructions and banished him to the Loko Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
Between that time till date the dethroned Emir and renowned Economist has been without any office, except for being a public intellectual.
However, fate smiled on him on Thursday, when the Kano State House of Assembly passed the bill dissolving the emirates created by Ganduje and Governor Yusuf signed the bill into law and reinstated Sanusi as Kano Emir in charge of one big emirate.
Against this backdrop, former Governor Ganduje and APC chairman under whose administration Sanusi was dethroned has maintained an unusual silence.
This is as the chief press secretary to the APC chairman, Mr Edwin Olofu, was yet to respond to enquiries by LEADERSHIP Friday to get his principal’s reaction to the development at the time of this report.
Emir Sanusi’s Recall, A Promise Kept – Kano Governor
Meanwhile, Governor Yusuf said the reinstatement of the deposed Kano Emir, Lamido Sanusi was a fulfilment of a campaign promise.
In a statement by his spokesperson, Sanusi Bature, the governor said the new law provided for the reinstatement of Sanusi as Emir of Kano and removal of all the five Emirs in all the five emirates.
“The law provided an opportunity for reinstatement of the 14th Emir of Kano Muhammad Sanusi II and removal of 15th Emir of Kano Aminu Ado Bayero, the Emir of Bichi Nasir Ado Bayero, Emir of Rano Kabiru Muhammad Inuwa, Emir of Karaye Ibrahim Abubakar II and Emir of Gaya Aliyu Ibrahim Abdulkadir.
“Governor Yusuf further articulated that the return of Muhammad Sanusi II to the throne will propel peace and prosperity, adding that the repeal of the council law was in realisation of his campaign commitments to restore the lost glory of the state and its rich cultural heritage.
“Governor Yusuf also issued 48 hours to Aminu Ado Bayero and four other former first class chiefs to vacate their palaces and hand over all emirates’ properties to the office of the deputy governor.
“The governor expressed satisfaction that the new law will bring unity to the people of Kano and foster sustainable socio-economic development.
He emphasised that the signing of the bill symbolised the restoration of the revered legacy of the Kano emirate, which had stood the test of time for over a thousand years.
The governor, he said, urged the populace in the state to continue supporting his administration in delivering a multitude of infrastructural advancements that will propel Kano to greater heights.
“Everyone should go about his or her normal activities in the state; we have done what we believe is in the best interest of the state and its people,” he said.
LEADERSHIP Friday reports that the reinstated Emir Sanusi II, on Thursday, hurriedly left Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, shortly after delivering his keynote speech at the ongoing Rivers State Economic and Investment Summit.
Sanusi was in the middle of delivering his speech when LEADERSHIP broke the news about his reinstatement as Emir of Kano.
LEADERSHIP Friday had observed that there was increased security around the traditional ruler at the time he was exiting the Obi Wali International Conference Centre venue of the summit in Port Harcourt, thereby making it impossible for journalists to have a brief chat with him.
Fubara Congratulates Emir Sanusi
Meanwhile, Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has congratulated Sanusi II on his reinstatement as the 14th Emir of Kano.
Fubara, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt, said that he received the news of the reinstatement of the former CBN governor with great excitement, particularly coming at a time Khalifa Sanusi II was in the state to add impetus to his administration’s initiative to reshape the economic trajectory of the state.
The governor noted that his reinstatement by the Kano State government at this time showed that Muhammad Sanusi II’s dethronement on March 9, 2020, was against the wishes and aspirations of the great people of Kano State, and therefore, an unjust act to the millions of people who believed in his reign while on the revered throne.
He commended the Kano State government for listening to the yearnings of the people by acting to correct the wrongs of the past, and urged the people to give the Sarki of the ancient city of Kano the maximum support to succeed.
He wished the 14th Emir of Kano a successful and fruitful reign that would bring progress and prosperity to the people of the state.
