Silent war in kano Royal Empire, as Governor break Sanusi II dominance to piece 

Could it be political strategy to break Emir’s firm grip and influence on the people of kano over Party structures which is mostly decided by the Governors or merely working to further strengthen historical heritage? This are possible question in the mind of many as Governor Ganduje appoints additional four emirs in Kano State which was immediately approved by the national assembly in less than 3 days. Before the governor’s action, Kano — as a geographical and cultural entity — has maintained single rulership since the establishment of the Sokoto caliphate in 1804.

It is public knowledge that Mr Ganduje has barely had a good relationship with Mr Sanusi for most of the last four years.

In 2017, what appeared like an engineered plot by the government to remove the emir through a probe of the emirate council’s finances was only halted after a series of high-level interventions to save the traditional ruler.

With the creation of four more emirates, Mr Sanusi’s reign over 44 local governments has been drastically cut down to only eight.

Early on Monday, the news came that the state House of Assembly had sat to read a letter from some unknown persons seeking the assembly’s request to create four new emirates. The letter proposed first class emirs for Gaya, Rano, Karaye and Bichi. It means having four more emirs with the same status as Mr Sanusi.

In an unprecedented move, the assembly immediately constituted a committee asking it to report back the next day on the issue. By Wednesday afternoon, the Assembly had passed the amendments into the Emirs (Appoints and Deposition) Act, splitting the emirate into five.

Later that evening Mr Ganduje signed the amendments into the law, making it arguably the fastest law in Nigeria’s democratic history.

The governor then went ahead to give effect to the new law by appointing four additional emirs on Friday.

Mr Sanusi was appointed Emir of Kano in 2014 by Mr Ganduje’s predecessor, Rabiu Kwankwaso. Mr Ganduje was then Mr Kwankwaso’s deputy.

But since the coming of Mr Ganduje as governor in May 2015, the emir and the governor have been in a frosty relationship. Wudil indigenes in Kano State have appealed to the State House of Assembly and the government to revisit the recent creation of Gaya Emirate Council under which they have been grouped.

Meanwhile Alhaji Yawale Muhammad-Idris, spokesman of the wudil indigenes of the state have rejected the grouping with the Gaya’s People. They said, they would rather have a Wudil Emirate than be subjugated to Gaya Emirate Council, one of the four emirates created by law.

In the alternative, Muhammad-Idris asked the government to return them to Kano Emirate Council, where he said the people rightly belonged. Kano Emirate Council has as monarch, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II, whose influence the Kano State Government sought to dilute by splitting the kingdom into five emirates.

He made the call after a stakeholders’ meeting on Sunday in Wudil, headquarters of Wudil Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.

According to him, the current arrangement is not backed by historical antecedents and is of no benefit to the affected communities.

He said the stakeholders’ meeting was attended by various groups of indigenes of the LGA pointing out that Wudil town has a different historical background from Gaya.

“We cannot afford to exist under Gaya Emirate,” he said.

According to Muhammad-Idris, during the Jihad of Shehu Usman Danfodio, Wudil was one of the five royal hubs that were presented with flags.

He said that the people of Wudil are not happy with the new arrangement. “If Wudil LGA will not have a first class emir, we prefer to remain under Kano Emirate.

“So, for God sake why should government demean us by grouping us under Gaya instead of merging us with the Kano Emirate with which we have the same historical relation.

“We reject this arrangement,” he said.

Dr Baba Sani-Wudil, the secretary of the group also said government did not consult with the people of the area before grouping them under Gaya Emirate, describing the arrangement as inappropriate.

“You can find out, neither our representative at the House of Assembly nor any elder or member of National Assembly was consulted on the issue,” he said.

He said the group would present its grievances to the state government and the State House of Assembly. (NAN)