Court halts implementation of Kano’s new emirate law

A Federal High Court in Kano on Thursday nullified the Kano Emirate Council (Amendment No. 2) Law, 2024, that scrapped four of the five emirates councils of the state last month and removed all the five emirs, including Aminu Ado-Bayero of Kano.

Governor Abba Yusuf, on 23 May, signed the bill that repealed the State Emirate Council Law 2019. The Kano State House of Assembly had earlier on the same day passed the bill that also dissolved the four emirates created by former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje.

Mr Yusuf immediately reinstated Mr Sanusi the following day as the sole emir of Kano State.

But a title holder in Kano emirate, Aminu Dan’agundi, challenged the government’s decision at the Federal High Court.

The judge, Abdullahi Liman, in suit number FHC/KN/CS/182/2024, had immediately ordered the state government and the other parties involved to stop the implementation of the new emirate law pending the hearing of the substantive case.

On Thursday, Mr Liman, who appeared at the court room at exactly at 3:08 p.m, apologised for coming late.

In about an hour ruling, the judge ruled that the appointment of Mr Sanusi aa Kano emir was null and void as the government failed to obey the court order restraining it from taking further actions on the new emirate council law.

The judge described Governor Yusuf’s speech during the presentation of the reappointment letter to Mr Sanusi as a road to anarchy, saying that if a court order cannot be respected despite evidence of service then the government was heading to the explosive side.

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He ordered the restoration of the Kano Emirate Council Law 2019 that split Kano into five emirates of Kano, Bichi, Karaye, Rano and Gaya.

Details later……