Sanusi Makes History,  Returns As 16th Emir Of Kano, Sacks Five Emirs, Asks Them To Vacate Palace Within 48 Hours

By Suleiman Anyalewechi  and Ayodele Oni

Kano State Governor,  Yusuf Kabir, has reappointed Dr Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as the Emir of Kano.

By the reappointment, Sanusi, a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has made history. He is the first to be reappointed the Emir of Kano after being deposed.

Governor Yusuf pronounced Sanusi  as 16th Emir of Kano Emirate after he signed the new Kano Emirate bill into  Law.

He also met the Kingmakers at the Government House this evening.

Earlier in the day, the Kano State House of Assembly reviewed Kano Emirate Law amended under Abdullahi Ganduje administration in 2019.

The five Emirs affected include the now deposed Emir of Kano, whose father was also an Emir and Sanusi’s predecessor, as well as the now, also deposed Emir of Bichi who is of the same mother with the former. His daughter is, also, married to the only son of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The former First Class Emirs were asked to hand over all properties of the Emirates to the office of the Deputy Governor.

A statement issued by the Governor’s Spokesperson Mr. Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, said Governor Yusuf made the declaration on Thursday shortly after assenting the newly passed Kano State Emirate (Repeal) bill into Law.

The new law passed on Thursday by Kano State House of Assembly has abolished the five Emirates established by former Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.

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 signed the bill into law in the presence of Deputy Governor Comrade Aminu Abdulsalam, the Speaker of Kano State Assembly Right Hon. Ismail Falgore, and other top government functionaries.

While signing into law the bill, the Governor expressed satisfaction that the new law will bring unity of the people of Kano and foster sustainable socio-economic development.

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 realization of his campaign commitments to restore the lost glory of the state and its rich cultural heritage.

He emphasized that the signing of the bill symbolizes the restoration of the revered legacy of the Kano Emirate which has withstood the test of time of over a thousand years.

Furthermore, the Governor 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.

“I want to inform the good people of Kano that today, we reappointed Sanusi Lamido Aminu Sanusi popularly known as Muhammadu Sanusi II as the 16th Emir of Kano while the five former emirs are expected to vacate the palaces within 48 hours”

“The former Emirs are to handover all properties in their possession to the Commissioner for Local Government who doubles as the State Deputy Governor.

“Under the new Kano Emirate Repeal law 2024, Kano State is now under one Emirate.”

Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa
Director General, Media and Publicity, Government House, Kano.

The Source reports that owing to some developments and other related issues within the political landscape of the State, the immediate past administration of Dr  Ganduje  in 2019 enacted a law dividing the hitherto Kano Emirate behemouth into five Emirates of Kano, Gaya, Karaye, Rano and Bichi, with Sanusi as Emir of Kano the Permanent Chairman of the Council of Five Emirs .

The balkanization exercise, not a few people said, was mainly targeted at whittling down the influence of Sanusi whom Ganduje’s administration had perceived as being too meddlesome.

However, Sanusi, who Ganduje had played a very decisive role in installing as  Emir in 2015 ,at a time then Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso developed a cold feet owing to an unfavorable security report concerning his installation, having come third in the selection process, was to on May 5, 2019, deposed and banished from the Kano throne to a remote rural village in Nasarawa. It took a Court order to allow Sanusi leave Nasarawa, and give him his freedom to move around.

Instructively, Sanusi was replaced with the now  dethroned Aminu Ado Bayero, a scion of the late  Emir Ado Bayeo, who came first during the 2015 selection process.