Towards a Sustained Peace in Kano

The revelation by the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party in the 2023 general election and former Governor of Kano State, Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, that the incoming administration of the Governor-elect, Abba Kabir Yusuf, popularly known as Abba Gida-Gida, will revisit the dethronement of the 14th Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II, could seriously disrupt  peace in the state if the people of the not properly handled, Adedayo Akinwale writes

An indication that the last has been heard about the dethronement of the 14th Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, came last week when the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in the 2023 general election, and leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, declared that the incoming administration of the Governor-elect, Abba Yusuf would revisit the dethronement of the former monarch.

Sanusi, who became emir in the final term of Kwankwaso as governor of the state, was dethroned by the outgoing Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, who was the deputy governor at the time the monarch was installed.

Ganduje’s loyalists had accused the deposed monarch of supporting the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 elections when the governor was seeking a second term in office on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The former emir was also perceived by Ganduje’s allies to be too critical of the policies of the state government as well as federal government.

Ganduje sacked the emir on March 9, 2020, and also banished him from Kano and sent to Loko, a remote community in Nasarawa State. 

The former emir later became the leader of the Tijaniyya Islamic sect in Nigeria, after he was turbaned in Senegal as the Khalifa of the Tijaniyya sect in Nigeria by Sheikh Mahi Ibrahim Inyass, the Grand Khalifa of the Tijaniyya Movement.

 However, Justice Anwuli Chikere of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in December 2021, declared his banishment as unlawful and unconstitutional, and also awarded N10 million compensation to him and against the police, the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Attorney-General of Kano State, who were also ordered to tender a public apology to him in two national dailies.

Following the court judgment, Sanusi had in February this year for the first after dethronement paid a historic visit to Kano State.  The former Emir later clarified that he was in the state on his way to Dutse, Jigawa State.

He explained that he could not fly directly to Jigawa State, because of the bad weather and had to stop over in Kano. 

After Sanusi’s dethronement, Ganduje had also enacted a law splitting the Kano emirate into five emirates and appointed Emirs who were at par.

But speaking in a viral video, Kwankwaso said the dethronement and balkanisation of the emirate would be reviewed by the incoming government of the governor-elect, Yusuf, who is popularly known as Abba Gida-Gida.

“We have campaigned and as you know we are popular in Nigeria, especially in Kano State, we are now back and God willing we will continue with the good works our administration left. This incoming governor and his team will take them up. 

“As elders, we will continue to advise them to do the right thing. We tried not to intervene in the issue of bringing or removing any Emir, but now, an opportunity has come. Those who were given this opportunity will sit down and see to the issues. They will look at what they are expected to do.

“Besides the Emir, even the emirate has been divided into five places. All these need to be studied. Usually, a leader inherits good, bad, and issues that are hard to reconcile,” Kwankwaso had said.

Though Kwankwaso did not reveal the shape the review would take, whether it would involve reinstating the former emir or not, but reacting to his revelation, Ganduje last week declared that God would not allow anybody to destroy the four new Emirates created by his administration.

In his speech to mark the 2023 Workers’ Day at Sani Abacha Stadium, Kofar Mata, Kano, Ganduje insisted that the newly created four Emirates have come to stay.

To the outgoing governor, the four new Emirates are etiquettes of unity, progress and even development across the state.

He said: “Any of you that visits the headquarters of these new emirates will believe me that we have brought development to these places. These emirates were created for unity, progress, history, and also for the recovery of the reputation of the traditional institutions. We created them to honour the people of these regions.

“I want to assure you that these emirates are permanent; they have come to stay. And anybody that will destroy them, God Almighty will not bring him to Kano State. We assure you that these emirates were created because of you, because of your progress. Even if we are not in government, we are praying and we will keep praying for God to protect these emirates from all evils. I thank you all,” Ganduje reportedly explained.

Recall that one year after he removed Sanusi, Ganduje had at the presentation of a book on former President Goodluck Jonathan, which was authored by a journalist, Mr. Bonaventure Melah, argued that the former emir was not the best man for the throne, adding that he removed him to save the traditional institution from abuse.

He also alleged that the deposed emir was appointed to spite former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Meanwhile, the incoming governor has not made any public pronouncement on the planned review and the final decision resides with him and not the NNPP leader.

But speaking in a video shortly after his dethronement, Sanusi had declared that he was no longer interested in going back to the throne of Emir of Kano.

The video was shared in March 2020 by Ibrahim Adam, the personal assistant to Abba Yusuf, now governor-elect and PDP governorship candidate in the 2019 elections.

He said, “I have done what I could in six years, I’m moving on. I don’t want to go back. The truth is, if I had wanted to go back, the dethronement letter was so badly written, it was not done professionally. The easiest thing is just to go to court.

“It’s simple, fair hearing, ‘did you query him? Did you ask him to defend himself? Did you even call him to ask him any question?’

“That’s all but I think we should go on to a new phase in life. There is no reason to be sad or be depressed. I know it’s difficult but for me; it’s never an issue,” Sanusi reportedly said.

There is no doubt that any review of the balkanisation of the emirates by the incoming administration will be received with both excitement and grief by residents of the state.

Therefore, in the event of such review, the governor-elect should seek to address any identified cases of injustice and not aim at settling scores to avoid unintended consequences in the state known for its volatility.