Ganduje shatters Emir Muhammadu Sanusi’s influence with new law

With Wednesday’s passage of the Kano Emirs Appointment and Deposition Amendment Bill 2019, and subsequent signing of the bill into law the same day by Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, the Kano State House of Assembly may have found its way into the Guinness Book of World Records as having made a piece of legislation within the fastest period ever in a democracy.

If you categorise this as a hyperbole, consider this:  the state House of Assembly initiated the bill on Monday, May 6, 2019; it passed its first reading on Tuesday, May 7; and on Wednesday, May 8, it scaled through second and third readings; on the same day, it became law when Governor Ganduje appended its signature.

The new law drastically reduces the sphere of influence of the Emir of Kano, His Royal Majesty Muhammadu Sanusi II, and climaxes what political observers described as a “deadly power game” between the influential monarch and governor. There is no love lost between the two giants. Neither has missed any opportunity to flex his muscle either directly or indirectly.

The Crest recalls that Ganduje had promised, Wednesday morning, that he would not tarry a minute to append his signature to the bill once the House passes it. The House expedited action and did exactly that hours later. And the governor wasted no time to fulfill his promise. He signed the bill into law in a jiffy.

If there was a medal for the state House of Assembly in Nigeria that manufactured a piece of legislation with the fastest speed, Kano State House of Assembly would have clinched it.

The new law establishes four additional emirates and four first class emirs in the state.‎ The new emirates are: Rano, Gaya, Karaye and Bichi.

“This is what the people of Kano State want,” an elated Ganduje enthused after signing the Kano Emirs Appointment and Deposition Amendment Bill 2019 into law. “This will encourage active and deeper participation of people of Kano State, especially in the rural communities, in the affairs of the state.

“It will also encourage active participation of traditional rulers in the areas of agriculture, education, health and security.”

Ganduje, however, subtly refuted the notion that the law targets the Emir of Kano, and aims to whittle his power and influence. Rather, he said the law was a response to the yearnings for an upgrade of the traditional rulers, based on their historical antecedents.

The governor also revealed that all other processes for the take-off of the new emirates would be completed, and letters of appointment, as well as dates of coronation of the new first class emirs fixed.

Also at the occasion, Governor Ganduje signed six other bills into law, including: the Kano State Administration of Criminal Justice Law 2019; Kano State Public Health Law 2019; and Kano State Water and Sanitation Sector Reform Law 2019.

Others are: Kano State College of Health Science and Technology Law 2019; Kano State Sharia Courts Amendment Law 2019; Kano State Pension and Rights of Governors and Deputy Law 2019; and Kano State Pension and Right of Speaker and Deputy Speaker Law 2019.