Sanusi: Tinubu resisted pressure to interfere in my reinstatement as Emir

Muhammadu Sanusi says President Bola Tinubu did not interfere in his reinstatement as Emir of Kano. 

On Thursday, Abba Yusuf, governor of Kano, announced the reinstatement of Sanusi after signing the new Kano Emirate Council Law.

The state assembly had passed the amended Kano State Emirate Council (Repeal) Bill 2024.

The law repealed the 2019 version, which balkanised the Kano emirate into five jurisdictions and was relied upon to depose Sanusi as Emir in 2020.

Speaking on the development in an interview with Television Continental (TVC), Sanusi said Tinubu recognised that the Kano drama was a local matter and resisted all pressure to interfere.

The former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) added that he was not given an opportunity to defend himself after being dethroned on “unsubstantiated allegations”.

He described his return to the throne as a correction of injustice done to the people, culture and tradition of Kano.

“As you know, I was appointed the 14th Emir of the single emirate of Kano in June 2014 and now I am reappointed as the Emir of the single emirate of Kano,” he said.

“In between that period, we did not have a single emirate. We had five balkanised emirates and this was an injustice to the history of Kano. It was an attack on our history, our culture, on our traditions, and it was an act of betrayal to our family.

“We thank Allah that today, the emirate has been unified again, its people have been brought together, that an injustice has been corrected because as you know, I was dethroned on an allegation of insubordination which was never specified.

“I was never given an opportunity to defend myself but I have never spoken about it because I’ve always assumed that when the time is up, it’s up. Today, I thank God that God has remained as we know, a faithful God who stands by justice.

“I would also like to express my thanks to his excellency Alhaji Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu without whose principled stance of non-interference in the internal affairs of the state, this would not have been possible.

“The president has shown that he is a respecter of the constitution and the separation of powers, he recognises that this is a purely local matter and that the government has a responsibility to do what is right for the state.

“I’m aware that he has resisted all pressure to get the federal government to be involved.

“This for me is a continuation of service that I started, it is also an opportunity God has given me to improve on my previous tenure.

“We all learn from our mistakes and it is our responsibility to improve on the things we did well and avoid those things we did not do well. Life is a continuous learning process. I’ve enjoyed the break of the last four years.”

He also thanked the Kano state government and the security agencies for maintaining law and order in the state.

He assured the state and federal government of his loyalty and cooperation, saying “they can be assured that they would find in me a friend, confidante and adviser”.