Anxiety has enveloped the city of Kano over a statement by former governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso that the incoming government of Abba Kabir Yusuf will revisit the deposition of former Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II
Daily Sun gathered that those troubled by the remarks are sympathisers of the present structure of the monarchy in the state, many of whom took the statement very seriously given the influence of Kwankwaso over the governor-elect as well as the cordial relationship between the deposed Emir and the incoming governor.
The issue, Daily Sun reports, formed the focal point of discussions in many parts of the state, yesterday, with many discussants taking sides with the deposed Emir or with the present emirs of the five emirate councils of the state.
In his reaction to the development, elder statesman Tanko Yakasai regretted how many people are attaching meaning to the statement, insisting that Kwankwaso is not the governor-elect of the state.
He said it is only when the governor-elect, Abba Kabir Yusuf, bares his mind on the topic that the matter should be taken seriously while describing the statement by Kwankwaso as an expression of his personal opinion.
“As a father, I don’t know if Kwankwaso actually made the statement or not, but if he did, then I think it is too early in the day to make such a statement because there is a sitting governor and a state House of Assembly in place and the governor-elect has not been sworn-n,” he said.
On whether the incoming government has powers to reinstate the former Emir and discharge the present set-up, Yakassai said: “The reality is that traditional rulers are subordinates to the state government and the governor has powers to make and unmake them, no matter how powerful they may be.”
Yakasai also expressed concern at the role of politics in the life of traditional leadership in Nigeria, saying incessant interventions in the form of deposition or reinstatement in an attempt by politicians to exert their authority over the leaders was most unfortunate.
Speaking to Daily Sun, a former head of the Department of Political Science, Bayero University, Kano, Kamilu Sani Fagge, observed that Kwankwaso could as well be flying a kite to assess public opinion on the issue.
He said the incoming administration has powers to revisit the issue while recalling that in the past, former governor Abubakar Rimi had balkanised the emirate in the state, only for the administration of former governor Sabo Barkin Zuwo to reassign and restore the old order upon assumption of office.
He urged the incoming administration of Abba Kabir Yusuf to be guided by fairness and justice in his policy options and to consider the peace, stability and unity of the state in whatever he elects to do on the subject.
