…Will the Centre Hold for the Two Gladiators? In what appears as if Kano State Governor, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, may have crossed the rubbicorn on his not too chummy relationship with the Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, the helmsman of the most populous state in the north, says he has received a letter
…Will the Centre Hold for the Two Gladiators?
In what appears as if Kano State Governor, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, may have crossed the rubbicorn on his not too chummy relationship with the Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, the helmsman of the most populous state in the north, says he has received a letter asking him to dethrone the emir if he fails to submit to the state’s authority.
But some believe this is just some smokescreen to rub in a premeditated plan as things seem to have fallen apart between the two prominent gladiators of the ancient city. Although Sanusi has consented to head the council of chiefs as requested by Danduje, the battle for the soul of Kano is merely put in abeyance.
Sending danger, President Muhammadu Buhari quickly moved in to stave off a potential crisis by giving nod to an eight member reconciliation committee led by former Head of State, General Abdusalami Abubakar, set up at the instance of a group of Northern elders.
According to a release signed by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Head of Service, Mr Adamu Fika, two Governors, Dr Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti state and his Katsina state counterpart, Mr Aminu Bello Masari. Others include Gen Muhammadu Inuwa Wushishi (rtd), Mr Abdullahi Ibrahim (SAN), Dr Dalhatu Sarki Tafida, Dr Umaru Mutallab, Prof Ibrahim Gambari and Sheik Sharif Ibrahim Saleh with Fika as secretary of the committee.
The release issued on Sunday said the committee is working with the full understanding and cooperation of the federal government and inititial contact has been made with Gov Danduje and Emir Sanusi.
In a statement on Thursday, Danduje’s spokesperson, Mr Abba Anwar, said 35 civil society organisations (CSOs) wrote to the Governor over their concerns on the face-off between the government and the emir.
In May, Ganduje had launched move to remove the emir, who apart from being an ardent critic of many government economic policies, was reported to have opposed his re-election bid.
The Governor broke the emirates into five shortly after the report, stripping Sanusi of the control of 34 local government areas of the state.
But in November, a high court in the state sacked four emirs installed by the Governor, dismissing the law creating additional emirates.
However, the Governor sent a fresh bill seeking the creation of four additional emirates to the State House of Assembly and he signed the bill into law after it was passed by the lawmakers. He then appointed Sanusi as head of Kano chiefs, citing the new emirate council law.
But Anwar said the CSOs have asked the Governor to initiate the removal of Sanusi if he refuses to comply with the law.
“Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano state has received a letter from a coalition of 35 civil society groups urging him to, in the interest of protecting the sanctity of the rule of law, and the mandate given to him by Kano electorate, as a matter of urgency, start the process of dethroning the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II,” the statement read.
“The letter titled ‘Kano State Emirate Council Law, 2019 : Demand Letter’ states clearly that; ‘The coalition of 35 Civil Society Groups under the above mentioned group (UMBRELLA OF KANO CONCERNED CIVIL SOCIETY GROUPS) are curiously studying the unfolding events in the running of Kano State affairs especially in recent time, as it relates to the lingering face-off between the Government of Kano State on one hand and the Emir of Kano on the other hand.’
“Reminding specifically that, matters that arose from the aftermath of Kano State High Court decision nullifying the Kano State Emirate Council Law, that was enacted by the State House of Assembly, which eventually paved way for the enactment of another Law, creating additional 4 First Class Emirates, which also empowers the Governor to take disciplinary measures against any erring emir, ‘…should be effected,’ according to the letter.
“The letter was signed by Comrade Ibrahim Ali, Chairman of the Coalition, which continues that, ‘Soon afterward, the same Law which repeals all the existing Emirate Councils Laws, and consolidates it in the Kano State Emirate Council Law 2019, was again been challenged first by the purportedly 5 king makers from one of the 5 Emirates established by the said law.’
“The letter lamented that, even the ‘…second litigation was initiated by the so-called Kano State Elders who indulged their group in their understanding that, the Law was aimed at distorting 1000 years of heritage or thereafter of Kano.’
“After narrating all the disagreed areas in the letter, the group demands that; That the action of the Emir of Kano Malam Muhammadu Sanusi II of continued undermining the constituted authority of the government of Kano State and its organs, is not only unconstitutional, but is an effort to create a state within a state. Which no responsible leadership will tolerate and allow to remain unabated.’”
The CSOs, Anwar, said suggested that; “with the recent decision of Kano State High Court, His Excellency shall proceed and ensure the full take-off of the Council of Emir.
Disturbed by a letter emanating from 35 Kano coalition of civil society groups, calling on Ganduje, to start process of dethronement of the Emir Sanusi, if he failed to abide by the law guiding establishment of Kano state council of Chiefs, a coalition of 183 Civil society and community-based organisations under the aegis of the Kano Civil Society Forum (KCSF) have dissociated itself from the purported demand.
According to a statement issued by the spokesperson of KCSF, Mr Ibrahim Wayya Rano, and made available to pressmen, the groups dissociated themselves from the call for the emir’s deposition, calling for the arrest of Mr Ali, the signatory to the letter sent to Mr Ganduje.
His words, “It is disheartening that, some politically motivated and faceless individuals, would claim to be acting on behalf of a coalition of civil society organizations in Kano, who were alleged to have called on the Governor for the dethronement of the Emir of Kano Mallam Muhammadu Sanusi II.
The statement added “should these apparition group genuinely represent the civil society organizations, their energy must have centred on promoting peace and unity, promotion of good governance, socio-economic development, promoting the welfare and wellbeing of the good people of Kano, and ensure a peaceful co-existence of our dear state, but not the other way round.”
The Groups noted that “It is on this note, we want to categorically lay bare and detach ‘Kano Civil Society Forum’ from the position of this unregistered, faceless and quarks Civil Society organizations, who proved from the content of their statement, to be unskilled, anti-peace and politically sloppy”.
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