Assembly Sacks All 5 Kano Emirates; Reverts to Single Emirate

The Kano State House of Assembly, Thursday, effectively terminated the reign of all current emirs in the five Emirates created in the state by the defunct Abdullahi Ganduje Administration by repealing the law that created them.

With the new law, there will be only one central Emir for Kano.

Speaking to Daily Trust which broke the news, the Majority Leader of the Kano State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Lawal Hussaini Chediyar Yan Gurasa, announced that the repeal law was passed on Thursday.

“This bill in its entirety has abrogated the establishment of the five new Emirates in the state and reverted to the former status of a single Emir in Kano which we inherited since the Jihad of Shehu Usman Dan Fodio,” he said.

Recall that in 2019, the then governor of the state, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, had created a sudden storm when he split the ancient Kano Emirate into five domains under controversial circumstances. The action triggered public resentment against the former governor with people criticizing him allegedly dividing the state along ethnic lines.

And after a long-running battle, Ganduje also dethroned the 14th Emir, Muhammadu Sanusi II, a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and a world-renowned economist.

Justifying the move by the State House of Assembly to revert Kano Emirate to its original single status with a single Emir, Yan Gurasa said; “The abolished Emirates did nothing but create division among the indigenes of Kano. The unity which was visible thousands of years in Kano was divided. We are now reverting back to our old historical background; one Kano, one people, one Emir.”

The law  repealing the former Emirates empowers the incumbent governor to invite the traditional kingmakers to nominate a new central Emir for Kano. However, Yan Gurasa indicated there are no Emirs currently holding office across the state.

“This means that the remaining five Emirs are no longer in existence,” he continued. “There is no Emir now in Kano. It is now the decision of the governor to appoint a new Emir.”

The Majority Leader canvassed the cooperation of all Kano residents, declaring: “We expect cooperation from the people of Kano. This is a welcome development. Kano is now united. That is what we are hoping the people of Kano would cooperate with. We need their maximum cooperation and prayer towards the peace and development of our great state.”

Speaking to journliasts after the earth-shaking development, Gurasa informed that “the bill has been sent to the governor for assent. Now, there is no longer an active Emir in Kano in all the five Emirates; Kano, Bichi, Gaya, Rano and Karaye. The law now provides the governor to call on the traditional kingmakers to choose a new king.”

But the question hangs: Would this development lead to the reinstatement of the dethroned 14th Emir, Muhammadu Sanusi II?

Mum is the word from those who should know but time will provide a definitive response.