Four
kingmakers in Kano Emirate have sued Governor Abdullahi Ganduje for creating
four new emirates and appointing first-class emirs for them.
Other
plaintiffs joined in the suit are the Speaker of the Kano House of Assembly,
the Kano House of Assembly and the Attorney General of Kano State. Also
included are the new emirs: Tafida Abubakar-Ila, Ibrahim Abdulkadir, Ibrahim
Abubakar ll and Aminu Ado-Bayero.
The four
complainants are Madakin Kano, District head of Dawakintofa, Yusuf Nabahani;
Makaman Kano, District head of Wudil, Abdullahi Sarki-Ibrahim; Sarkin Dawaki
Mai Tuta, District head of Gabasawa, Bello Abubakar and Sarkin Ban Kano,
District head of Dambatta, Mukhtar Adnan.
In a writ of
summons obtained by PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday dated May 14, the kingmakers
sought nine orders to set aside the newly amended Kano State emirs appointment and
deposition amendment law 2019. They also want to set aside the creation of the
new emirates in Rano, Gaya, Karaye and Bichi.
The summons
specifically asked the court to set aside the appointment of Messrs Tafida
Abubakar-Ila, Ibrahim Abdulkadir, Ibrahim Abubakar ll and Aminu Ado-Bayero as
Emirs of Rano, Gaya, Karaye and Bichi respectively.
It also
requested the court “to restrain Tafida Abubakar-Ila, Ibrahim Abdulkadir,
Ibrahim Abubakar ll and Aminu Ado-Bayero from parading themselves as Emirs of
Rano, Gaya, Karaye and Bichi respectively.”
They argued
in the writ of summons that “Kano existed for over 1000 years since 999 AD.
Following the Fulani Jihad led by Shehu Uthman Danfodio of 1804 and the
conquest of Kano in 1807, it became an emirate under the ridership of an emir.
“The
plaintiff are the traditional Kingmakers of Kano Emirate representing the
leading Fulani clans that led the Jihad in Kano, namely, Yolawa, Jo6awa,
Sullubawa and Dambazawa clans. They have exercised the traditional
responsibility of Kingmakers since circa 1819, in addition to being district
heads and superintending over various territories within the Kano emirate.
“The
defendants acting capriciously, arbitrarily and in manifest bad faith,
hurriedly, without observing due process or conducting any hearing and in a
pretended exercise of purported constitutional powers passed a law claiming to
alter this over 1000 years of history and tradition by creating or establishing
this so-called new Emirates of Bichi, Rano, Gaya and Karaye and appointing new
Emirs to these so-called new Emirates.”
The writ of
summons requested Mr Ganduje and seven other defendants “to enter appearance
within 21 days of receiving the writ.”
The four are
represented by seven Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) and 21 other lawyers
including present and immediate past presidents of the Nigeria Bar Association,
Paul Usoro and A.B Mahmoud.
On Friday,
the Kano State High Court restrained Mr Ganduje from appointing the new emirs
pending the determination of a case filed before it by some members of the state
assembly led by the miniority leader, Rabiu Saleh
Mr Ganduje,
however, went ahead to ‘symbolically’ install the emirs at an elaborate
ceremony, arguing that the court order was issued after the new emirs had
received their letters and accepted the nominations.
Backstory
PREMIUM
TIMES reported how the state government created four additional emirates after
a speedy passage of the relevant bill by the state assembly.
The move has
been seen as a deliberate attempt to whittle down the powers of the Emir of
Kano, Muhammad Sanusi, who has opposed the governor’s policies and allegedly
also kicked against his reelection bid. Mr Sanusi, a former Central Bank of
Nigeria governor, now heads eight local governments in the state against the
earlier 44, he had influence over.
Mr Ganduje
has said his action was not political but aimed at bringing governance closer
to the people at the local communities.
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