Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Mamman Yusufari has insisted that the Federal High Court ruling nullified the reinstatement of Muhammadu Sanusi, contrary to claims by the Kano State government.
During a radio programme, “Rigar Kaya,” hosted by Yakubu Musa-Fagge, Yusufari, a Professor of Law, stated that the court’s ruling invalidated all actions taken by the state government. “The governor appointed Mr. Sanusi after the court order. The court gave the order on May 23, and the governor reappointed Sanusi on May 24,” he explained.
Yusufari emphasized that the judge deemed the governor’s action as disrespectful and intolerable in a lawful society, asserting, “In the eyes of the law, the appointment of Sanusi didn’t exist because it was conducted in disregard to the law of the land.”
The judge did not comment on the validity of the Kano Emirate Council (Repeal) Law 2024 but declared all actions taken by the governor before the court order null and void, which includes signing the law. This means the Kano Emirate Council (Repeal) Law 2024 remains a bill, not a law. Consequently, the five Kano emirate councils are still in effect, and Sanusi’s appointment as the 16th Emir of Kano is illegal.
Yusufari noted that all parties must maintain the status quo as directed by the court. The substantive case will proceed at the high court if the appeal court rules in favor of the applicant on the jurisdiction suit; otherwise, the case may reach the Supreme Court.
Contrarily, Kano State Attorney General Haruna Isa Dederi, in a Thursday night press briefing, insisted that the ruling favored Sanusi’s reinstatement. “The Kano State Government acknowledges the ruling by the Federal High Court regarding the Kano Emirates Council (Repeal) Law, 2024 and views it as upholding the rule of law,” Dederi stated.
He claimed that the ruling reaffirmed the validity of the law passed by the Kano State House of Assembly and signed by the governor on May 23, 2024. Dederi asserted that all actions taken by the government before the interim court order are validated, including the abolishment of the five emirates created in 2019 and the deposition of the five emirs. He concluded that Muhammadu Sanusi II remains the Emir of Kano and highlighted that the law and Sanusi’s reinstatement were finalized before the interim order was served.
