Former Governor of Kano State and former Minister of
Defence, Rabiu Kwankwaso, has alleged that President Muhammadu Buhari gave the
order to dethrone former Emir of Kano,
Muhammadu Sanusi II.
Speaking in an interview with the BBC Hausa, Kwankwaso
alleged strongly that Buhari instructed officials of the state to depose the
ex-monarch.
The deposed traditional ruler was last Monday dethroned by
the Kano executive council led by the Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje,
over allegations of insubordination.
Sanusi has since left the state for a village in Nasarawa
while Aminu Ado Bayero, one of the sons of his predecessor, was installed as
the new emir of Kano.
Kwankwaso, who appointed Sanusi as emir in 2014, however,
said while Buhari said he would not interfere in the dispute between Ganduje
and Sanusi, the president influenced his removal
He described Sanusi’s dethronement as a sad development,
saying no responsible government would have taken such a step.
According to him, “Let me begin by saying today is a very
sad day in Kano, Nigeria and by extension in the entire world, because His
Highness the Emir of Kano (Sanusi) is a global person. What we have seen is
very sad because there is no responsible government that is supposed to take
the kind of step taken by Kano State Government by dethroning Emir Muhammad
Sanusi II.
“However, like people who are close to President Muhammadu
Buhari often say that the President does not intervene in disputes; that, if
people are in dispute the President just keeps quiet, but we in Kano do not see
him (President Muhammadu Buhari) like that; we see him like he selects where he
intervenes. And where he is supposed to intervene, he doesn’t, but where he is
not supposed to intervene, that is where he does.
“You see leaders here in Kano State Government themselves
are saying they were given the order to dethrone the Emir. He (President Muhammadu
Buhari) is the one that gave them the order. Here in Kano as we see, Buhari
destabilises wherever he puts his hands.”
Kwankwaso also said Sanusi should have been allowed to
choose his place of relocation rather than being forced somewhere.
Abubakar Mahmoud, the lawyer representing Sanusi, had said
the ex-monarch wanted to move to Lagos but was forced to Nasarawa State.
But the Kano state attorney-general, on Wednesday, said the
state government did not banish Sanusi to Nasarawa.
Sanusi’s lawyer had asked for the release of the former
emir, saying his forced relocation to Nasarawa is illegal and unconstitutional.
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