There is an ongoing underground move by Kano state governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, to fulfil his campaign promise to depose the well respected Emir of Kano, Alhaji (Dr.) Ado Bayero CFR, LL.D, JP, who hopes to celebrate his Golden Jubilee on the throne next year. A commitee of the state House of Assembly is currently touring the 44 local government areas of the state ostensively to prepare ground for the probe of the Emirate Council headed by the emir.
For several months before the 2011 general elections, Kwankwaso had adopted the slogan “SABON SARKI, SABON GOMNA!” (i.e. new governor, new emir!) which was shouted all over the state by his supporters at campaign rallies. Since his unexpected return to power in May last year many people have waited with bated breath, as those who knew him well had said that because of his stubborness Kwankwaso would certainly attempt to embarrass the emir.
247Ureports gathered that the first person to utter this slogan at a campaign rally is currently the governor’s commissioner for environment, Alhaji Abdullahi Abbas, the son of a nephew of the emir and holder of the traditional title of Wamban Kano, Alhaji Abbas Sunusi, whose desperation to become emir is common knowledge in Kano.
Kwankwaso was said to have fallen in love with the slogan because he was bitter at what he repeatedly complained as the emir’s relentless support for the programmes of his arch political rival and the then governor of the state, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, particularly the governor’s flagship programme of moral rejuvanation, “A Daidaita Sahu.”
Then hoping to return for the second time as governor, Kwankwaso was so angered by the emir as he explained to those around him that the support for Shekarau was a subtle indication to Kano people to vote for the ANPP government. He was so crossed that he was reported to have boasted that he would punish the emir if he returned to power.
At a point in time the governor ordered one of his henchmen, now serving Senator El-Jibrin Doguwa, to speak disrespectifully to the emir when members of the PDP in the state visited him at his palace by complaining bitterly about the open support the emir allegedly gave to the Shekarau government.
The problem between him and the emir, one of his source close aides said, became even more compounded after Kwankwaso won the election and Alhaji Ado Bayero, as a result of advanced age and illness during last year’s Eid-el-Fitr, reduced the usual number of events undertaken annually to celebrate the festival including “Hawan Nassarawa,” which was to be a courtesy visit to the governor.
“His Exellency considered the action as an affront to him and a confirmation of his suspicion that the emir did not support his return to power,” the aide added. Thus, he was said to have reasoned that if the emir could undertake other events despite his illness what could have stopped him from coming to the Government House for just a few minutes.
So the governor resorted to blackmail by causing the repeated airing by Radio Kano the announcement that the emir would perform the “Hawan Nassarawa” the following day having agreed to include the item among the few that he would undertake to mark the Sallah festival. Realising that the governor wanted to drag him into an unnecessary public confrontation, the level-headed emir graciously paid the courtesy call to him.
However, it now appears as a highly vindictive person Kwankwaso is yet to be satisfied as he has again caused the Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs Committee of the state House of Assembly to tour the 44 LGAs in the state and investigate how much each District Head, including his father, gets from “the colossal” funding the government gives to the Emirate Council.
As the committee was doing its work the Hausa Service of Radio Germany got wind of the clandestine move and aired a report recently with the recorded voice of the chairman of the commitee, Alhaji Kabiru, confirming that they indeed intended to probe the Emirate Council.
According to him, government had observed that the District Heads were living in misery which showed even from their filthy sitting rooms as apparently they did not get what was due to them from the colossal amount paid to the Emirate Council. He assured that the house would do everything in its power to ensure that all workers of the state government including District Heads were paid their due salaries and other emoluments as and when due.
On Thursday last week, the emir returned to Kano from a medical checkup in London and was received at the airport by a mommoth crowd of supporters including the princes and all the District Heads. This is an indication that the Emirate Council is well aware of the move to probe the emir as this show of support at the airport had hardly ever happened before.
The state government had apparently planted a rumour in the social media that the emir had died in London in order to prepare the minds of the people for the possible appointment of a new emir. As intended, the rousing reception ought to have indicated to the government by now that the emir is still very popular with his people.
247Ureports’ enquiries in Kano revealed how surprised some elites were that Kwankwaso has not learned a lesson from the experience of the first civilian governor of the state, the late Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar Rimi, whose government faced violent protests on July 10, 1981 as a result of alleged similar move to remove the emir which resulted in extensive burning of some ministries and the killing of his political adviser, Dr. Bala Mohammed.
As we await the outcome of the preliminary investigations now being undertaken in the 44 lacal government areas of the state by the commitee headed by a protege of the governor, and see if the process will begin in the “honourable” house, we pledge to keep you updated as new events unfold.
