Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has firmly dismissed rumours that his recent defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) could lead to the removal of Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II, insisting there are “absolutely no plans” to alter the emir’s status.
The assurance comes amid heightened speculation following the governor’s political realignment, which has aligned him with former Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje a key figure behind Sanusi’s 2020 deposition and raised questions about the long-running emirate crisis.
For nearly two years, Kano has been embroiled in a royal deadlock, with Sanusi II operating from the historic Gidan Rumfa palace and Aminu Ado Bayero claiming legitimacy from the Nassarawa mini-palace. Sanusi was deposed in March 2020 by Ganduje and replaced with Bayero after the creation of additional emirates. In May 2024, Governor Yusuf reinstated Sanusi following the repeal of the 2019 emirates law, restoring a single-emir structure and effectively removing Bayero and other appointed emirs.
The governor’s defection from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP)—linked to his former ally Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, who backed Sanusi’s return—sparked fears of a potential reversal as part of APC reconciliation efforts.
Speculation intensified after Kano Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya, hinted on a radio programme that the government had “concrete measures” in place to end the stalemate involving the “two emirs.”
Speaking exclusively to Weekend Trust through his spokesman, Sanusi Bature, Director-General of Media and Publicity at Kano Government House, Governor Yusuf categorically ruled out any change:
“There is no plan to replace Emir Sanusi on the throne of Kano,” he said. “The appointment of the emir was done after the emirates law had been repealed, and there is no plan at the executive level for any further amendment.”
He added, “Emir Sanusi has been duly appointed in accordance with the repeal law, and this defection to the APC will not in any way change the status quo. Emir Sanusi remains the Emir of Kano. There is no move, no intention to substitute him.”
Bature described the rumours as “unfounded” and circulated by those “who do not mean well for Kano State,” urging the public to disregard them.
He stressed that the traditional institution remains non-partisan and that the emirate issue was “not part of any political deal.” “The emirate issue is not a political decision. It is the personal interest of some individuals,” he said.
The government appealed to Bayero and his supporters to prioritise peace, with Bature stating: “We want to appeal to him and his co-sponsors to please, in the interest of peace, stability and economic prosperity of Kano State, distance themselves from the ongoing claim of awaiting reinstatement.”
The crisis also has a legal dimension, with a suit by Bayero camp figure Alhaji Aminu Babba Danagundi challenging the law repeal currently pending at the Supreme Court.
