By Abiola Olawale
A few hours after Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State presented a letter of appointment to the Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi II, some protesters stormed the streets of the presidential villa and the National Assembly in Abuja.
The protesters under the auspices of the Concerned Patriots of Nigeria, have called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately intervene in the latest development in Kano State, accusing the Governor of Kano of denting the reputation of the revered traditional institutions in the state.
The protesters, who marched peacefully, on Friday carried banners with inscriptions like “Kwankwaso using his puppet (Abba) to foment political crisis in Kano state”; “Abba focus on governance”; “Don’t destroy Kano”, among others.
Speaking during the protest, the coordinator Abdullahi Muhammed Saleh, accused the Governor of abusing his office to another level by dissolving the traditional council.
He called on Tinubu to use his good offices to resolve the crisis and ensure the restoration of peace and stability in the State.
He said: “A lot had been going wrong in the state but the Concerned Patriots of Nigeria had thought it best to allow Kano state to sort out its thorny issues. However, Thursday’s brash actions of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State, who sacked five emirs to reappoint Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi as the 14th Emir of Kano has awoken us to the urgency of raising the alarm about the destructive excesses of the state governor.
“Since being sworn into office, Governor Abba Yusuf has a string of loutish acts that run like a hardened criminal’s rap sheet. All in the name of rubbishing his predecessor, he started with a demolition spree that has served to impoverish the people whose lives he took an oath to improve. Thus he proved himself to be anti-people.
“The Governor then attempted to destroy the structures of political parties in the state. The impish fanaticism with which he pursued this illicit mission saw him intruding into the structure of other political parties, including hiring some charlatans who purportedly suspended the national chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, who is interestingly his predecessor. Thus he proved himself to be anti-democratic.
“This latest stunt of sacking five emirs to install his acolyte was achieved by manipulating the Kano State House of Assembly, which he had successfully turned into a rubber stamp for endorsing his illegal acts. He has eroded the autonomy guaranteed by the separation of powers as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
“It is inconceivable that any right-thinking person will descend low to the point of manipulating the traditional institution for political gimmicks. The humiliation meted out to the five emirs was most unbecoming and we have cause to believe that Abba Yusuf has set the stage for using the traditional institution as ancient and as esteemed as that of Kano for a political seesaw will continue since his successor will revert to the five emirates. The Kano governor has thus proven himself to be the anti-traditional institution leader.
“The Governor’s choice of actions flies in the face of reason and has no place in a sane and civilised society. We urge Governor Yusuf to retrace his steps and stop further undermining the peace of Kano state and by implication the peace in Nigeria.
“We also condemn the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) – dominated Kano State House of Assembly that they have cemented their place as a conclave of shame to have reverted into a mere rubber stamp for the megalomanic tantrums of the state governor.
“They, alongside Governor Yusuf, have taken their desperation to an extent that could set the ancient city on fire and cause breaches in the land. We are here today to appeal to President Tinubu to intervene in the Kano Emirate crisis.
“The situation would deteriorate by the day, and we need the President’s urgent attention to prevent further breakdown of law and order. We believe that President Tinubu’s intervention is crucial at this critical moment. We are counting on his leadership to find a lasting solution to the crisis and ensure peace returns to Kano State.”
The New Diplomat reports that Yusuf had dissolved the five Emirates Council and reinstated Sanusi II as the Emir of Kano. This came after the Governor signed the Kano State Emirate Council (Repeal) Bill 2024 into law.
It would be recalled also that the Federal High Court sitting in Kano state had granted an ex-parte order stopping the reinstatement of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi II as the Emir of Kano.
The court in its ruling ordered the Kano State Government from enforcing the Kano State Emirate Council Repeal Law.
