Sanusi receives reinstatement letter, turbaned as Emir of Kano

Sanusi Muhammadu has been reinstated as the Emir of Kano after receiving his letter of appointment from Governor Abba Yusuf on Friday.

“By the powers conferred on me by the Kano Emirate Council Law of 1984 and 2024, and supported by the recommendation of the kingmakers, I have the singular pleasure to confirm the reappointment of Muhammadu Sanusi II as the Emir of Kano and the head of the Kano Emirate Council,” the governor said.

His reinstatement took place at the Government House in Kano, four years after he was deposed by the immediate past governor of the state Abdullahi Ganduje.

At the event, the governor reechoed the Emir’s role and urged him to lead according to Islamic tenets of Islam.

“As the Emir is being appointed for the second time, it is based on his competence, credibility, and popularity,” he said.

“I urge him to be guided by the principles of Islamic teachings and to use his position to unite the emirate, fostering harmony among the Islamic sects in the state.”

Traditional rulers, kingmakers, and other top dignitaries were in attendance at the event which came barely one day after Governor Yusuf signed the Kano State Emirate Council (Repeal) Bill 2024 into law.

The new law replaces the Kano State Emirates Council Law, 2019, and dissolves the emirate councils created by Ganduje.

That law was used by Ganduje to split the Kano Emirate into five in December 2019 and deposed Sanusi II, on March 9, 2020. The emirates created by the Ganduje administration were Karaye, Bichi, Rano, and Gaya, in addition to Kano.

By at Sanusi’s reinstatement event, Governor Yusuf said the 2019 move was a case of victimisation and narrated events leading to the reinstallation of Emir.

“We had a series of meetings with the Kingmakers yesterday, extensive discussions with the Speaker, and we also sat with all the heads of security. At the end of the day, we all gathered in the chamber where I received the bill that repealed the former law, and we signed the new law repealing all the appointments for merbelire,” the governor said.

He continued, “We did that out of our convictions and belief that this gentleman was victimized in 2019. We all feel that we must restore what is due to the good people of the state.”

Governor Yusuf also thanked the legislative body for the speedy passage of the bill.

“Let me use this opportunity to humbly thank the Speaker and all members of the House for your determination and respect for the rule of law. It shows your interest in the welfare of the people of the state,” he said.

Emir Sanusi II, a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, was known as Lamido Sanusi before becoming king.