The person that ordered us to stop Sanusi’s reinstatement is in America, Gov Yusuf reveals

*As Ganduje supporters take protest to Villa, NASS Over Sanusi’s reinstatement 

*Gov vows to report court order abuse

“The person that issued the court order was in America but he is ordering us to stop what we are doing,” Yusuf declared.

By OUR REPORTER, Abuja

Protesters, believed were sponsored by All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Mr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, stormed the Presidential Villa and the National Assembly Complex in Abuja on Friday.

With placards in their hands, the protesters were calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene by way of stopping the reinstatement of Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II as the 16th Emir of Kano.

They resorted to protesting after an attempt to use a court believed is controlled by the ruling APC to stop the other two of three independent arms of government, Kano State House of Assembly (The Legislature) and tge State Executive Council (The Executive) from performing their duty.

Recall that a Federal High Court sitting in Kano was said to have issued an order stopping the reinstatement of Sanusi II, an effort by the same set of people led by then Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, who ignored a court order in May 2019 stopping bulkanization of historically revered and influential singular Emirate of Kano.

Ganduje shunned the court’s decision and went ahead to appoint four Emirs and presented them their staff of office and, above all, caused the House of Assembly – with no unanimous vote – to pass a Bill assented to by him and by which he sacked Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II as 14th Emir of Kano.

Like the law of Karma, five years after, Sanusi after being banished from entering Kano although banishment vacated by court, had the last laugh Thursday May 23, 2024 when the state Assembly unanimously repealed his the 2019 law sacking him and bring up a new law reappointing him.

The protesters were also not happy with the abolishment of four emirates, including Bichi, Gaya, Karaye, and Rano, after the Kano State Emirate Council (Repeal) Bill 2024 was signed into law by Gov. Abba Kabiru Yusuf on Thursday unanimously passed a Bill repeating the Ganduje’s Emirate Law 2019 and passing a new law that gives the governor the power to remove the emirs.

The Ganduje’s camp have now taken to protest but instead of protesting to Kano’s Executive and legislature, they took it to Abuja, which has no relevance to tge decision both arms of government had taken in Kano, some watchers of the development said.

The protesters, under the auspices of the Concerned Patriots of Nigeria, marched peacefully and carried banners expressing concerns about the escalating situation in Kano.

They urged President Tinubu to use his good offices to resolve the crisis and ensure the restoration of peace and stability in the state.

Kano Governor Abba Yusuf dissolved the Five Emirates Council and reinstated Muhammadu Sanusi II as the Emir of Kano. This came after the governor signed the Kano State Emirate Council (Repeal) Bill 2024 into law.

The group coordinator, Abdullahi Muhammed Saleh, claimed that Governor Yusuf has taken his abuse of office to another level by dissolving the traditional council.

“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, have 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.”

They added: “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 megalomania 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.”

Governor Yusuf vows to report court order abuse

In the meantime, Governor Abba Yusuf has vowed to report abuse of court orders to Nigeria Governors’ Forum. He made the vow while reacting to an injunction restraining Sanusi’s reinstatement and dethronement of five emirs in Kano State

The was as the governor, on Friday, accused a U.S-based judge of abusing the judicial process.

Speaking after officially restoring Sanusi to his centuries-old title, Yusuf lashed out at Justice Abdullahi Muhammad Liman of the Federal High Court in Kano, who had earlier granted an interim injunction blocking the return of the deposed Emir and the dethroning of five traditional rulers in the state.

“The person that issued the court order was in America but he is ordering us to stop what we are doing,” Yusuf declared. “This issue of abuse I must present before the Nigeria Governors’ Forum so that we can tackle it accordingly.”