A Federal High Court sitting in Kano State, has nullified actions the State government took to repeal the Kano Emirates Council (Amendment No. 2) Law, 2024.
Recall that the law scrapped four of the five emirates councils of the state last month and removed all the five emirs, including Aminu Ado-Bayero of Kano.
On May 23, State Governor Abba Yusuf, signed the bill that repealed the State Emirate Council Law 2019.
The State House of Assembly had on the same day passed the bill that also dissolved the four emirates created by former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje.
Yusuf further reinstated Muhammadu Sanusi as the sole emir of Kano State.
However, a Kingmaker in the former Kano emirate, Aminu Dan’agundi, challenged the government’s decision at the Federal High Court.
The Presiding 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.
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On Thursday, Liman, who appeared at the court room at exactly at 3:08 p.m and apologised for coming late, ruled that the appointment of Sanusi as 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 further described Governor Yusuf’s speech during the presentation of the reappointment letter to 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.
Justice Liman held that the defendants were aware of the interim order granted by the court but chose to ignore it and went ahead with the implementation of the law.
While stating he would assume his coercive powers to enforce compliance with his order, the judge transferred the case to Justice Simon Amobeda for continuation in view of his elevation to the Court of Appeal.
He however ordered the restoration of the Kano Emirate Council Law 2019 that split Kano into five emirates of Kano, Bichi, Karaye, Rano and Gaya.
