PeakNews Online
Kano, Nigeria – A Federal High Court in Kano has invalidated all actions taken by the Kano state government to repeal the Kano Emirates Council Law. This ruling impacts several significant decisions made by the current administration.
The controversy began when the Kano House of Assembly repealed the law, which Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf then enforced by dethroning Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero as the Emir of Kano. Additionally, Governor Yusuf reversed the creation of four emirates—Bichi, Rano, Karaye, and Gaya—established by his predecessor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
The repealed law was also used to reappoint Muhammadu Sanusi II, the 14th Emir of Kano who was dethroned by Ganduje in 2020, as the 16th Emir of Kano. This move was contested by Aminu Babba Danagundi, the Sarkin Dawaki Babba and a kingmaker in the former Kano emirate. Danagundi, through his counsel Chikaosolu Ojukwu (SAN), sought a court declaration that the law was null and void.
In his ruling on Thursday, Justice Abdullahi Muhammad Liman annulled the Kano state government’s actions and ordered all parties to maintain the status quo. This decision sets aside the implementation of the law and the changes it brought about, including the dethronement and reappointments of emirs and the dissolution of the four additional emirates.
The court’s ruling has significant implications for the political and traditional landscape in Kano, preserving the status quo and potentially leading to further legal and political battles over the governance of the Kano emirates.
