Sophia Michaels
Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the Presidential Candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the 2023 General Elections and leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement, has asserted that he played no part in influencing the reinstatement of Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II as the Emir of Kano.
Kwankwaso had crowned Sanusi as Emir in 2014, but Abdullahi Ganduje, who succeeded Kwankwaso, dethroned the monarch in 2020.
But after the NNPP won the 2023 governorship election, Kwankwaso had said Sanusi’s dethronement would be reviewed.
On Thursday, the Kano House of Assembly repealed the Emirate Council Law which paved the way for the reinstatement of Sanusi.
Speaking with the BBC on the issue, Kwankwaso said, “I will go to Kano very soon and I will speak with some of the assembly members, especially the speaker, and the Governor on what is happening.
“Rabiu Kwankwaso has burnt his hands over dictating what to do. We are still with the Governor working together. It’s just a matter of offering advice and if you are not asked to, you keep quiet so long things are going right we just pray and hope that they succeed.”
Asked to clarify what he meant by the dethronement would be reviewed, he said, “When I said we will revisit the case, I didn’t say the direction to follow. I just said it will be reviewed… When I go there, I will hear what happened and I am sure they will tell me whatever happened and whatever they tell me, we just pray for them. I heard the Assembly members have repealed the law.
“What we were telling them was they should go and investigate whether what happened was done out of goodwill or not. What happened appears to be a vendetta or cheating. It’s just a matter of did Ganduje do right or wrong? It’s not about going against him.”
Further speaking about the future of the emirate in relation to political influence he said, “Those that are looking at it from the perspective of whether it’s going to be tenure-based are somehow right but who started it? When I came back as Governor in 2011, everybody knew that late Emir of Kano, Ado Bayero, was not supporting us, he was supporting Shekarau but when we got into power we didn’t even think of dethroning him. This is why we are telling people that everybody should sit down where he belongs.”
