No sooner had the INEC announced Abba Kabir Yusuf as the elected governor of Kano State than supporters of the former CBN Governor, Muhammad Sanusi III began to raise the prospect of his return as the emir of Kano. Can the deposed emir make another comeback? Daily Review delves into the issue and what it may mean for Kano Emirate.
A few months after being sacked from the Central Bank of Nigeria by the former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan in April, 2014, the then Kano State Governor, Engineer Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso appointed him as the new emir of Kano to replace Ado Bayero which initially sparked protests in the state capital, but the public anger eventually fizzled out as the new emir began to consolidate his power and open a new vista in the Kano traditional institution as he became more involved in the affairs of the state, even if the issues divided public opinions.
“Sanusi Lamido Sanusi is highly voluble,” said Ahmad Ibrahim, a public affairs analyst based in Kano.
Muhammad Sanusi is widely known for airing his views on national issues
“Right from his earlier career, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, was widely known to be one of the most outspoken writers in northern Nigeria. So, there is no way he could be silent just because he was made an emir,” Malam Ahmad added.
The relationship between the emir and Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje soon deteriorated, which led to the petitioning of the Kano Emirate, and created four more emirates to weaken the power of the traditional institution. It happened so quickly the new emirs were appointed and coronated in less than a month before any legal challenge to the legislation was mounted.
Sanusi Lamido Sanusi was removed as the Kano Emir and banished from the state in 2020, ending years of irreconcilable differences with Governor Umar Ganduje.
Many people in and outside Kano reacted differently to the development: some were sympathetic to the dethroned emir, seeing his removal as political.
The former governor of the state, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso also condemned the petitioning of the Kano Emirate and the eventual removal of the emir.
Many analysts believe the incoming governor of the state would reverse many executive decisions made by Ganduje. But it is unclear if the governor-elect has any plan to revisit the issue of the Kano Emirate which many people see as irreversible.
Can Muhammad Sanusi III agree to return as Kano Emir?
Since he was flown out of the state, Muhammad Sanusi III never challenged his removal, and he was not known to have any axe to grind with the new Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero which seem to signal that he has moved on, and resigned to his fate.
Daily Trust reported the emir on August, 2022, as saying that he had no regret over his removal as he believed it is Allah who bestows power to whom he wills and takes it away if He so wishes.
“There is absolutely no evidence to indicate Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has a plan to return,” said Kabiru Usman. “I don’t think he would ever come back because he has moved on.” He added.
Daily Review has reached to Dr Abdullahi Dahiru who is close to the emir to ask if the emir still plans to return as Kano emir, if presented with the opportunity, but declined to shed any light on the issue.
“These things are only speculative. Only God would know what would happen tomorrow,” said the medical doctor.
“I am not that close to him to know his opinion of the matter, and (I) can’t say anything,” he added
Public Opinions Divided
The emir’s reign in Kano still divided public opinion as some people still regard him as one of the best emirs Kano has ever had while others think otherwise.
Professor Ahmad Isa Haruna of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, said the emir’s return would deal a fatal blow to the prestige of the emirate if he returned, saying politics would erode the neutral value of the institution, and divide the families of Kano Emirate, and create a domino effect for politicians to interfere with the institution in the future.
“At the moment, the most important for not the only Sanusi Lamido Sanusi but also the current emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, is to preserve the image and the institution by setting aside their differences for the betterment of Kano Emirate,” he said.
In a nutshell, it is very difficult to predict what Abba Kabir Yusuf would do if he takes over, but as people’s attention is diverted to the socioeconomic hardship caused by the cash crunch, this may signal the reality that whether Sanusi Lamido Sanusi returns or continue to stay away from Kano, people have moved on.
