Kano Emirate: One Throne, Two Emirs, One Family
That the northern city of Kano would be thrown into palpable fear, tension and that the whole state would sit on a gunpowder keg at a time elections are far is unimaginable.
Whenever a general election is close by, the 44-LGA state is in tension. Political violence is easy to start in the conservative community where a particular (religion or traditional) leader can ignite arson and set the city on fire.
The current brouhaha started fully on Thursday when the Kano State House of Assembly decided to repeal the law that created four additional Emirates in Kano State. Umar Ganduje in his bid to spite and ridicule Sanusi Lamido Sanusi II influenced the assembly in 2020 to break the Kano Emirate into five. Hitherto, Sanusi was deposed and exiled.
Aminu Ado Bayero took one of the five shreds and came emir of depleted Kano Emirate. He is a cousin of deposed Emir Sanusi. As a matter of fact, history said that the former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor Sanusi lived with his uncle, the late Ado Bayero.
Sanusi’s father, just like his son, Muhammed, was deposed. The main issue Sanusi II had with former governor Umar Ganduje was politics. The political differences between the two of them caused more rancour in the royal family of Kano. Ganduje took the mantle from Sanusi II and gave it to his cousin, Aminu Ado Bayero.
Governor Abba Yusuf, who has now ordered an immediate arrest of Ado Bayero, worked on the law that the Kano State House of Assembly repealed by reinstating the embarrassed Sanusi II. He gave him the appointment letter yesterday in a mini celebration at the government secretariat.
Meanwhile, Online Parrot News reported that the political class of Kano and by extension north are using the royal family as pawn to settle political scores. Rabiu Kwakwanso, an erstwhile governor of the state appointed Sanusi II in 2014 partly to send a message to former President Goodluck Jonathan, who decided to suspend Sanusi II as the governor of the apex bank.
The NNPP presidential candidate, Kwakwanso, was frustrated a lot by his “boy” and “successor” Umar Ganduje. He undid almost everything that Kwakwanso did even though the latter anointed and sponsored his candidacy.
In a nutshell, Abba Yusuf, the second stooge of kingmaker Kwakwanso, played to the gallery by deposing Aminu Ado Bayero, reinstating Sanusi II and ultimately set the whole family and Kano against one another.
Ado Bayero, rather than shivering and retuning to his shell, entered Kano on Saturday and headed to the palace. He wouldn’t throw in the towel unlike how his cousin did in 2020 by going to a Nassarawa village.
Some security personnel including soldiers even escorted him to the palace. Whereas Abba Yusuf’s Emir Sanusi II is still at the government house. A family has been once again disunited.
Online Parrot News didn’t throw its weight behind the deposition of Sanusi II as Emir. Likewise, it doesn’t support the dethronement of Aminu Ado Bayero. However, the news agency frowns at the destability of the throne. Already, the people and perhaps the family were healing from the shock of Sanusi’s dethronement.
The freshly deposed Emir relies on court order stopping his removal, the newly reinstated king is armed with an appointment letter. So, two kings, two emirs are fighting over a throne. Two personalities from the same ruling house slugging it out for the coveted Kano Emir seat.
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