By Suleiman Anyalewechi
The Supreme Court of Nigeria on Monday, April 20, 2026, pulled off what could pass as the longest adjournment of a pending litigation in the chequered history of the Judiciary with the announcement of April 19, 2027, as the new date for the continuation of proceedings in the festering tussle for the control of the revered traditional throne of the ancient Kano Emirate.
While the unusual judicial move may have jolted not a few, keen observers of the almost three-year struggle for the throne have come to perceive the development as representing part of a well-scripted blueprint for the actualization of the second term ambition of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Instructively too, the unusual adjournment to some, appears to highlight the stark reality about institutional capture in the country’s democratic arrangement of late.
What could have ordinarily passed as just a routine change of baton within the leadership structure of the Kano Emirate snowballed into a full blown tussle following the alleged partisan roles of the powers-that-be.
The President, it is alleged, in concert with some Kano political figures, including then National Chairman of the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, had queued behind the factional 15th Emir Aminu Ado Bayero to continue to stake his claim to the throne following his controversial dethronement on Thursday, May 23, 2024, by Governor Abba Kabiru Yusuf.
Governor Yusuf had rallied the subservient Kano State House of Assembly to hurriedly amend the State’s Emirate Council laws to pave for the reinstatement of the 16th Emir of Kano, Mohammad Sanusi II, after shoving aside Bayero.
Interestingly, Sanusi, as the 14th Emir of Kano, was deposed by the administration of former Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje in 2020 and replaced with Emir Bayero whose late father, Ado Bayero was the 13th Emir.
As at the time of his dethronement,
Emir Aminu Bayero, who was out of Kano state, was said to have initially decided to accept his fate as the will of God.
But with Governor Yusuf, his then political godfather and leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and Emir Sanusi, cousin to the Governor, on the other side of the political divide (New Nigeria Peoples Party NNPP), some APC chieftains marshalled by then National Chairman Dr Ganduje, allegedly collaborated with Federal authorities to escort back to Kano, the deposed 15th Emir Bayero.
While Emir Sanusi holds court at the Kofar Kudu main palace in the City ,Emir Bayero operates from the Nasarawa mini palace which serves as a monsleum for past Emirs.
Similarly, while the Kano state Government recognizes and provides all the logistical supports including security, and legal costs for Emir Sanusi, the Federal Government, through some APC stalwarts in the state continue to allegedly back Emir Bayero.
Besides the general air of tension and anxiety generated by the unusual situation whereby Kano Emirate hosts two Emirs at a time, the development also resulted in the severe disruption of the cultural heritage of the people.
For the past three years, the ancient and rich cultural and religious Sallah Dubar festivities have not been held over fears of eruption of violence and instability.
Security agencies, particularly the Police, have, in the last three years, suspended the Sallah Dubar celebration, citing the insistence of the two rival Emirs to observe the festivities simultaneously, as well as the high possibility of clashes between their supporters as major reasons for their action.
Expectedly, the two contending forces have since turned to the Courts in a bid to assert their authorities on the throne with a plethora of litigations from both sides.
However, the Supreme Court in 2025, in an effort to enforce sanity amidst conflicting and embarrassing judicial pronouncements,moved to consolidate all the appeals from both parties.
The consolidation exercise had, also, rekindled hopes of the prolonged tussle coming to end sooner than later, with both parties waiting with anxiously for the final decision by the apex court.
However, the unusual long adjournment of proceedings by the country’s apex court has, in the main, not only raised questions about motives, but also the presumed independence of the Judicial arm of Government in the country.
This magazine gathered that the unprecedented long adjournment may have been allegedly instigated by the need to protect the political interest of President Tinubu in the swing state of Kano.
According to an impacable source, the President, after the recent realignment processes in the State, which has seen political actors going in opposition directions, does not want to be caught in-between the Emirate stool crisis.
“Don’t forget that the President, for the same political reason, was initially a big factor in the refusal of the deposed 15th Emir Aminu Bayero to accept his fate.
“In fact, it is a well known fact that the Federal Government, through one prominent security chief has been the lifewire of Emir Bayero in the face of the Kano State Government’s efforts to boot him out of the throne.
“When this crisis began in 2024, the Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, his former leader, Emir Sanusi, who is closely related to the Governor, were on one side .
“On the other hand, the Federal Government , through some powerful forces and APC members from Kano were backing Emir Bayero.
“Now, the situation on the ground is dicey in that, you know politicians, nothing is too much for them to sacrifice to achieve their ambition.
“The problem appears to be that when they were negotiating with Governor Yusuf to join APC, they may have relegated the Emirate throne crisis to the background.
“May be, they had taught that it will not become an issue in the election of 2027. But the truth is that the outcome of the Emirship crisis will have serious implications both for the President and the Governor.
“So, I am not surprised that they have moved to put everything on hold until after the election. But I doubt if it will help them because the people are already aware of the game they are playing.
“We know that Bayero may have been sacrificed. Yes. This is because the Governor is a blood relation of Emir Sanusi, and nobody is expecting him to turn his back at him now, after taking the risk of installing him in the first place. But the people are not deceived. Even the Bayero camp, is aware of what is going on.
“The President is just trying to be smart politically”, a source volunteered.
He, however, expressed serious concern and regret that the Judiciary, rather than reassuring and re-building its image, has, instead, continued to engage in actions that undermine and erode public trust and confidence.
“Although ,they (Supreme Court) may explain away this weird adjournment by insisting they want to concentrate on resolving political matters ahead of the 2027 elections, I am not sure the people will believe them .
“This is because their antecedents of late suggests that this may be yet another decision influenced by the executive branch of Government.
“I, for one ,will not be convinced that this is not another disappointing case of state capture because if the Supreme Court is not under pressure to halt the Emirate case, they can decide the matter in weeks if not days. After all, they are not taking any new arguments from the parties. Theirs is to examine pronouncements already made by the trial and Appeal Courts”, he added.
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