Sanisu Vs Bayero: Battle For Kano Throne Takes Another Twist After Court Order

The royal dispute in the ancient Kano Emirate continues to spark controversy even as the battle has shifted in dimension.

In a recent twist, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Abba Yusuf, Sani Bature, and legal practitioner Abba Hakeem expressed different interpretations of the Federal High Court ruling in Kano on Thursday.

Both men, appearing on Channels Television’s “Politics Today” on Friday, reacted to the court’s decision concerning the claims to the Kano royal stool by Muhammad Sanusi II and Aminu Ado Bayero.

Bature asserted that the court ruling supported the dissolution of the five emirates established in 2019. He stated, “People need to understand that yesterday’s judgment is in our favour because of several reasons. One, the judgment accepted the validity of the repealed law 2024, which invalidates the five emirates and also deposed the five Emirs in Kano. So, therefore, at the moment and based on yesterday’s judgment, Aminu Ado Bayero and the other four Emirs were officially deposed and they should remain deposed until the determination of the appeal that was filed by us.”

Contrarily, Hakeem argued that the court set aside the repeal of the law that created the five emirates. He emphasized, “The ruling of the Federal High Court yesterday was very clear. In fact, the certified true copy of that ruling is currently going round on social media, and it is clear that the first order given by that court is that all actions taken pursuant to the 2024 Kano State repealed law are set aside. The second order was that that does not affect the validity or invalidity of the law because it is a subject of a substantive suit which is still pending before the court.”

On Thursday, Justice Liman declined to declare the amended Kano Emirate law null and void but annulled all actions taken by Governor Abba Yusuf following the controversial law’s amendment by the Kano State House of Assembly on May 23, 2024. The judge criticized the Governor for proceeding with the law’s assent and presenting an appointment letter to Emir Sanusi on May 24, 2024, despite a court order directing all parties to maintain the status quo.

Justice Liman remarked that he listened to the Governor’s statement in the media after assenting to the law and was convinced that the respondents (the Governor and the Kano State House of Assembly) were aware of the court order to maintain the status quo pending the hearing and determination of the motions on notice. He noted that the situation could have been avoided if the respondents had complied with the court order, which would still have allowed them to perform their duties.