In this report, Saturday Vanguard examines the background facts surrounding the legal gymnastics that greeted the dethronement of the 15th Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero; deconstructs the confusion that trailed the judicial enthronement of two emirs in the ancient city of Kano by judges of coordinate jurisdiction and harvests the perspectives of key stakeholders on the deprecated practice of judges struggling for jurisdiction in sensitive political cases.
They are contending that the Supreme Court had, as far back as 1986, about 36 years ago, in the case of Alhaji Umar Abba Tukur V The Governor of Gongola State held that the Federal high court is a court of limited jurisdiction that cannot pry into or struggle jurisdiction with a state high court on chieftaincy matters notwithstanding whether such a case is dressed in the garb of enforcement of fundamental human rights.
Specifically, the new bill reverts the state’s highest ranking traditional institution to its former structure of one emir with all the offices established under the previous law abolished. It also reverts all districtheads elevated or appointed under the repealed law to their previous positions. Femi Falana, SAN had wondered why such a request by a busybody should be entertained by a law court when the dethroned Emirs who had the locus standi did not take any step. But the governor who claimed he was not served the purported court order until Monday, May 27, 2024 went ahead on Friday, May 24, 2024 to reappoint Muhammadu Sanusi II as the 16th Emir of the ancient
May 28, 2024 for a counter order directing the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the Kano State Commissioner of Police, Hussain Gumel to evict the reinstated Sanusi from the Emir’s Palace in Kofar Kudu, a request that was granted.
Although, Chief Justice Olukayode Ariwoola summoned Justice John Tsoho, Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, and Dije Aboki, Chief Judge of Kano State to a meeting to hear from the horses’ mouth why the judges under them intervened in the crisis in the way they did, the three judges—Justice Liman, Justice Amobeda and Justice Aliyu continued with the hearing of the separate but similar cases before them.
damages against Kano government in favour of the applicant on the account that the state government breached his rights by ordering his arrest without any justification. the order of maintaining status quo pending the hearing and determination of the motions on notice in the court, adding that it is a very serious matter for anyone to flout the orders of the court and go scot free with it.