The Governor of Kano State, Abba Yusuf, says the reinstatement of the deposed Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi, was a fulfilment of a campaign promise.

Yusuf, on Thursday, signed the bill repealing the State Emirate Council Law 2019 that gave the state five emirate councils.

The state House of Assembly on Thursday passed the bill for the dissolution of the four additional emirates created by the immediate past administration of former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje and the removal of all five emirs.

The governor signed the bill at the Government House on Thursday, the same day it was passed by the state lawmakers.

At the event, according to a statement by his spokesperson, Sanusi Bature, the governor said the new law provided for the reinstatement of Mr Lamido as Emir of Kano and removal of all the five Emirs in all the five emirates.

He added that it was also part of his campaign commitment to residents of the state.

“The law provided an opportunity for reinstatement of the 14th Emir of Kano Muhammad Sanusi II and removal of 15th Emir of Kano Aminu Ado Bayero, the Emir of Bichi Nasir Ado Bayero, Emir of Rano Kabiru Muhammad Inuwa, Emir of Karaye Ibrahim Abubakar II and Emir of Gaya Aliyu Ibrahim Abdulkadir.

“Governor Yusuf further articulated that the return of Muhammad Sanusi II back on throne will propel peace and prosperity, adding that the repeal of the council law was in realisation of his campaign commitments to restore the lost glory of the state and its rich cultural heritage.

“Governor Yusuf also issued 48 hours to Aminu Ado Bayero and four other former first class chiefs to vacate their palaces and hand over all emirates property to the office of the deputy governor.

“The governor expressed satisfaction that the new law will bring unity of the people of Kano and foster sustainable socio-economic development.

“He emphasised that the signing of the bill symbolizes the restoration of the revered legacy of the Kano emirate, which has withstood the test of time of over a thousand years.

“Furthermore, the governor urged the populace in the state to continue supporting his administration in delivering a multitude of infrastructural advancements that will propel Kano to greater heights.

“Everyone should go about his or her normal activities in the state, we have done what we believe is in the best interest of the state and its people”

“I want to inform the good people of Kano that today, we reappointed Sanusi Lamido Aminu Sanusi popularly known as Muhammadu Sanusi the II as the 16th Emir of Kano while the five former emirs are expected to vacate the palaces within 48 hours.

“The former emirs are to handover all properties in thier possession to the Commissioner for Local Government who doubles as the state Deputy Governor.

“Under the new Kano Emirate Repeal law 2024, Kano state is now under one emirate,” the statement said.

Siminalayi Fubara, Rivers State Governor, has congratulated His Royal Highness, Muhammad Sanusi II on his reinstatement as the 14th Emir of Kano.

In a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Rivers State Governor, Nelson Chukwudi, on Thursday, Fubara also expressed excitement upon hearing the news of the reinstatement of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Khalifa Sanusi II.

Fubara said the announcement also coincides with Sanusi’s visit to Rivers State, where he was supporting the administration’s efforts to reshape the state’s economic trajectory.

He noted that Sanusi’s reinstatement by the Kano State Government at this time shows that Muhammad Sanusi II’s dethronement on March 9, 2020, was against the wishes and aspirations of the people of Kano State.

Fubara said that act was “an unjust act to the millions of people who believed in his reign while on the revered throne”.

The Governor commended the Kano State Government for listening to the yearnings of the people, and acting to correct the wrongs of the past, and urged the people to give the Sarki of the ancient city of Kano the maximum support to succeed.

He also urged the spiritual leader of the Tijanniyah Sufi order of Nigeria, Emir Muhammad Sanusi II, to lead the over 50 million adherents of the Sufi order in Nigeria with love, wisdom and courage while bringing lasting peace, justice, equity and fairness to all in the city of Kano.

“I wish the 14th Emir of Kano a successful and fruitful reign that will bring progress and prosperity to the people of the State”, the Governor said.

The Kogi Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja has fixed May 27 to deliver judgment in the petition filed by Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its governorship candidate, Murtala Ajaka, against the election victory of Gov. Usman Ododo.

The three-member panel of justices, headed by Justice Ado Birnin-Kudu, announced the date on Thursday in Abuja in a message communicated to counsel for the parties through its secretary, David Mike, and made available to newsmen.

Kogi held its off-cycle election on November 11, 2023, in which Ododo of the All Progressive Congress (APC) emerged victorious, beating his closest rival, Ajaka of the SDP, by a wide margin.

Ajaka, dissatisfied with the outcome of the election, had filed a petition before the tribunal, challenging Ododo’s victory.

The case, which commenced in December 2023, came to its highest point on May 13 when SDP, Ajaka, APC, Ododo, and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) adopted their final written addresses, after which the tribunal reserved judgement in the petition.

INEC, Ododo, and his party, APC, had prayed the tribunal to dismiss Ajaka and SDP’s petition in its entirety for being incompetent and lacking in merit.

INEC, Ododo, and the APC, through their lawyers, Chief Kanu Agabi, SAN; Joseph Daudu, SAN; and Emmanuel Ukala, SAN, respectively, told the tribunal so while adopting their final written addresses and presenting their arguments against the petition.

However, Ajaka’s lawyer, Pius Akubo, SAN, had urged the tribunal to discountenance the respondents’ submissions and uphold their petition.

In his argument, INEC’s lawyer, Chief Agabi, told the panel that the petition lacked merit and incompetent, urging the court to strike it out or dismiss it.

“It is our humble submission that your work in the determination of this petition is simplified in recent judgments by the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court,” he said.

He argued that the Appeal Court had decided that if the grounds of a petition are inconsistent with one another and are not consistent with the reliefs, it should be struck out.

He also argued that the evidence of the petitioners was grossly insufficient, citing a Supreme Court decision in a case by Tonye Cole against INEC.

The senior lawyer, who described the case as frivolous, prayed the tribunal to strike out or dismiss the petition for being incompetent.

Ododo, through his counsel, Daudu, also urged the tribunal to dismiss the petition in its entirety.

Adumbrating, he had argued that the petition was statute-barred (filed out of time).

He also urged the tribunal to dismiss the allegations of forgery against his client, saying it bordered on a pre-election matter, which the apex court had decided in Gbagi’s case against INEC.

Daudu also argued that Section 137 of the Electoral Act cited by the petitioners on allegations of over-voting did not apply in the instant petition.

Also backing Daudu’s submission, Ukala, who represented APC, urged the court to dismiss the petition for lacking merit.

The petitioners’ lawyer, Akubo, disagreed with Daudu that their petition was filed out of time.

He argued that the respondents themselves confirmed that the petition was filed on December 2, 2023, even by their own witness.

“I urge your lordship to hold that we filed this petition within time under our law,” he said.