A High Court sitting in Kano on Friday, stopped the Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the Kano State House of Assembly, the Speaker, Clerk of the Assembly, including the Attorney-General and the State from implementing the splitting of the Kano Emirate.
The Kano State House of Assembly passed a bill, establishing four additional emirates and four first class emirs in the state.
The bill, initiated on Monday, passed first reading on Tuesday and scaled through second and third reading on Wednesday.
Ganduje, who spoke immediately after signing the bill into law, said “this is what the people of Kano State want”.
The exparte motion dated May 10, 2019, was filed by the plaintiff, Hon. Sule Gwarzo, before Justice Nasiru Saminu, seeking the court to restrain the respondents from taking any action of creating four additional Emirates.
In an order of interim injunction, the Court directed all parties in this suit to maintain status quo, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, has appointed Aminu Ado Bayero, the first son of the late Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, as Emir of the newly created Bichi Emirate. Bayero’s son was until his appointment, the Wamban Kano.
The governor, in an announcement on radio yesterday, also unveiled the three other emirs for the additional emirates created this week, following the signing into law of the bill for the creation of Gaya, Rano, Bichi and Karaye emirates.
The other new emirs are Alhaji Ibrahim Abdulkadir as Emir of Gaya; Alhaji Tafida Abubakar Ila as Emir of Rano and Alhaji Ibrahim Abubakar II as Emir of Karaye.
Ganduje is expected to present letters of appointment and staff of office to the four new Emirs today at Sani Abacha Stadium. This is despite of a Kano State High Court order restraining him from doing so.
Meanwhile, Governor Ganduje, yesterday in Abuja said the state was moving to next level with the creation of the new emirates.
He also mocked the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, saying, going by the status as a traditional ruler, Emir Sanusi is not qualified to hold talks with the governor but can only discuss with the local government chairman.
Ganduje who made this remarks in the conference centre of the Presidential Villa, while answering questions from State House correspondents on why he balkanised the 800-year old Kano Emirate into five smaller units, said he had nothing against Sanusi.
According to Ganduje, the action is not an expression of vendetta against the former Central Bank of Nigeria governor, explaining that the 1999 Constitution (as amended) has clearly defined his limit as a traditional ruler who could only report to the chairman of his local government.
He also claimed that the balkanisation of the age-long Kano Emirate into smaller units had been a subject of celebration by the people, claiming that the emergence of the new emirates would make traditional system effective in the development of Kano State.
“So, it is not vendetta. I am not against him. In fact, he is supposed to be reporting to the local government chairman according to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“It is the local government chairman that is supposed to discuss issues with him not the governor. So this is celebrated by the people of Kano and we will make sure that the new emirate councils are effective in terms of developing Kano State,” he said.
Culled from This Day and Daily Post.
