Sanusi Muhammadu Sanusi ll yesterday received appointment letter as the 16th Emir of Kano from Governor Abba Yusuf at a grand event that took place at the Government House in Kano.
The governor had on Thursday assented to the Kano State Emirates Council (Amendment number 2) Bill 2024 after it was passed by the state House of Assembly.
The law dethroned all the five emirate councils created by former governor Abdullahi Ganduje and repealed the deposition of Muhammadu Sanusi in 2019.
Delivering an address while presenting the letter to the reinstated emir yesterday, Yusuf said the law had come to stay and nobody can change it.
He said the new law was promulgated out of a strong conviction that it would restore the lost glory of Kano State.
According to him, the law was passed after following due constitutional processes, and the government tried to amend it to avoid unforeseen circumstances.
He said it was foolhardy for the opposition to challenge the law which according to him, was constitutionally made, and urged Kano people to remain calm as no court can change the law passed by the Assembly.
“I feel happy and elated today. I give glory to God for giving me the ability to restore the lost glory of Kano State.
“As I stand before you today, I am going to present the letter of appointment to Sanusi Muhammadu Sanusi ll.
“Yesterday we had series of meetings with the king makers, members of the House of Assembly and security chiefs before we finally signed the new law repealing all the appointments of the former emirs as well as all the district heads and other appointments made by the previous administration,” he said.
Governor Yusuf said the law was made to reinstate the former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) out of the conviction that he was victimised by the immediate past administration.
While congratulating the 16th emir, the governor urged him to use his wealth of experience and knowledge to revive the glory of the Kano Emirate.
“We hope and pray at this material moment of the emirate, that you will use your wealth of experience and knowledge to revive the past glory of the emirate council.
“It is our prayer that in your new stint to be guided by Islamic teachings as you are known.
“Use your position to unite all adherents of Mal Ibrahim Dabo. Use your position to bring harmony to the emirate and the state as a whole by uniting all the Islamic sects for peace and development to continue to reign in the state,” the governor said.
After the presentation of the letter, the district heads and traditional title holders present at the event paid homage to the emir, who was expected to later enter the palace in the evening to continue receiving homage from other district heads and high ranking palace officers.
On the court order, the governor said what they did was constitutional.
A Federal High Court in Kano had earlier issued an ex-parte order preventing him from reinstating Sanusi as Emir of Kano.
In a suit issued on Thursday before the presiding judge, Justice A.M Liman by Alhaji Aminu Bappa Dan Agundi, a leading Kano traditional title holder, (Sarkin Dawaki Babba), the court averred that the implementation and the operation of the Kano State Emirates Council (Repeal) Law, 2024 (1445 A.H) be suspended.
“An order of Interim Injunction of this honourable court suspending, not giving effect to, not implementing the operation of the Kano State Emirate Council (Repeal) Law 2024 (1445 A.H), as they affect all offices and institutions of all the emirate councils created under the provision of Kano State Emirate Council Law, 2019, (1441 A.H).
“An order of Interim Injunction of this Honourable Court restraining the 5th to 8th respondents from enforcing, executing, implementing and operationalising the Kano State Emirate Council (Repeal) Law 2024.
“In the alternative to relief 3 above, an order of interim injunction of this honourable court for the maintenance and preservation of the subject matter and or the preservation of the status quo by all parties to this suit, pending the hearing and determination of the plaintiff/applicant’s originating motion before this honourable court as well as an order of accelerated hearing on this matter” Justice Liman ordered.
Respondents in the suit include the Kano State government, the House of Assembly, speaker of the State Assembly, the Kano State Commissioner of Police, the Inspector General of Police, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Department of State Services.
“Parties are hereby ordered to maintain status quo ante the passage of and assent of the bill into law pending the hearing of the Fundamental Rights application,” Justice Liman stated.
The court order came a few hours after Governor Yusuf announced Muhammad Sanusi II as the reinstated Emir and assented to the amended Emirate law by the Kano House of Assembly.
Governor Abba Yusuf had ordered the five dethroned Emirs in the state to hand over the emirates to the commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs, Comrade Aminu Abdussalam, who is also the deputy governor of Kano.
Governor Yusuf argued that the new law, which abolishes the emirates created by former governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, would promote unity and socio-economic development in Kano.
Meanwhile, the case has been adjourned to June 3, 2024 for hearing on the fundamental rights application. The court directed that the plaintiff/applicant may serve their originating motion and other court processes on the Inspector General of Police (IGP) in Abuja, outside the jurisdiction of the court.
Governor Yusuf claimed that Justice Abdullahi Muhammad Liman of the Federal High Court sitting Kano was in the United States when he issued an interim order against the reinstatement of Muhammadu Sanusi II on Thursday.
Yusuf, who revealed this while presenting the appointment letter to Emir Sanusi, also announced his intention to report what he described as an abuse of court orders to the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF).
Justice Liman had issued an interim injunction restraining the Kano State Government, Inspector General of Police, the Kano State Police Commissioner, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), and the Department of State Services (DSS) from enforcing the Kano State Emirate Council (Repeal) Law 2024.
The injunction was based on a motion filed by Aminu Babba Danagundi, who holds the title of Sarkin Dawaki Babba.
But, reacting to the court order, the governor said; “The person that issued the court order was in America, but he is ordering us to stop what we are doing. This issue of abuse, I must present before the Governors’ Forum so that we can tackle it accordingly.”
He emphasised the importance of due process, asserting that his administration had acted transparently and in accordance with the law.
“We are following the due process, that’s why we did what we did openly before everybody. Those that are meant to maintain the rule of law must follow it also,” he added.