Kano state Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has threatened to depose the Emir of Kano, Alhaji (Dr.) Ado Bayero, or balkanize Kano Emirate into three if the emir refused to rescind his decision on the appointment of a new Waziri of Kano.
Last Friday at a brief ceremony the emir turbaned the Imam of Fagge Jumu’at Mosque, Sheikh Nasir Muhammad Nasir, as the new Waziri of Kano even though the governor had earlier rejected his nomination.
The appointment became necessary as a result of the demise of the former occupant of the post, an eminent Islamic scholar and jurist of international repute whose annual Tafsir during the month of Ramadan made him a house-hold name, Sheikh Isa Waziri, who died in August last year.
Shortly after his death the Emirate Council proposed the appointment of Sheikh Nasir Muhammad Nasir but this was vehemently rejected by Governor Kwankwaso allegedly for political reasons.
The matter therefore remained pending up till last week shortly after the return of the emir from a prolonged medical check-up in London, when he decided to go ahead and turban Sheikh Nasir as the new Waziri.
The brief turbanning ceremony was in fact witnessed by the deputy governor of the state, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, thus giving the impression that the governor might have changed his mind on the appointment of the Sheikh.
However, after the ceremony the governor was said to have reprimanded his deputy and ordered him to convey his displeasure to the Emirate Council.
The deputy governor thereafter summoned the Wamban Kano, Alhaji Abbas Sunusi, and informed him that the governor was still opposed to the appointment.
247ureports.com gathered that the Wambai and Galadiman Kano, Alhaji Tijjani Hashim, conveyed the massage to the emir who was so incensed with the development that he allegedly ordered them out of his sight.
Consequently, the governor was said to have caused a letter to be written to the emir in which he threatened to either dethrone him or balkanize his emirate into three, with two additional emirates to be created for Gaya and Karaye, if he refused to rescind his decision.
This prompted the Emirate Council to hold an emergency meeting on Monday with the representative of the Sultan of Sokoto in attendance with a view to resolving the issue.
The meeting was said to have resolved the impasse by advising the council to reverse the appointment and this was announced yesterday (Tuesday) night by Wamban Kano, Alhaji Abbas Sunusi.
It will be recalled that relations between Governor Kwankwaso and the emir has remained frosty since the former’s return to power in 2011, eight years after losing the governorship election to Malam Ibrahim Shekarau in his bid for a second term in office.
247ureports.com exclusively reported last year that Kwankwaso had caused the state House of Assembly’s Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to probe the finances of the Emirate Council with regard to the emoluments paid to all the District Heads in the emirate.
In an interview with the Hausa Service of Radio Germany, the chairman of the committee Alhaji Kabiru Rurum confirmed the development but saw no big deal in it as the District Heads are employees of the government which was concerned about their welfare.
However, this was viewed differently by some stakeholders in the state who feared that the government might be aiming at dethroning the emir in the same manner his predecessor the 11th emir, Alhaji (Sir) Muhammadu Sunusi, was deposed in 1963 by the Northern Regional Government. The committee began visiting the 44 local government areas of the state but the matter died later.
Although move was checkmated as a result of the good counsel of some elders the governor has since then refused to remit the statutory allocation of five per cent of local government funds to the Emirate Council.
All attempts by our correspondent to elicit response from spokesmen of the government and the Emirate Council proved abortive as they kept sealed lips and advised him to await the government’s announcement on the issue.
