The legal battle over the Kano Emirate has escalated to the Supreme Court, following the Court of Appeal’s decision to set aside previous orders affecting the reinstatement of Muhammadu Sanusi II as the 16th Emir of Kano.
In a ruling delivered on Tuesday in Abuja, a three-member panel of justices, led by Justice Biobele Abraham Georgewill, acknowledged the transmission of the case record to the Supreme Court.
The court directed all parties involved to exercise caution pending the hearing of their appeals at the apex court.
During the session, counsel for the Kano State Government, Ibrahim Wangida, formally withdrew an application regarding the stay of execution on Sanusi’s reinstatement, confirming that the case had already been escalated to the Supreme Court.
“All necessary legal steps have been taken, including the transmission of the appeal record to the Supreme Court,” Wangida informed the court.
Read also: Naira slumps marginally at official window, closes flat at black market
By legal precedent, the transmission of the appeal record to the Supreme Court automatically serves as a stay of any further action on the Court of Appeal’s ruling of March 14, 2025.
The case stems from a March 14, 2025 ruling by Justice Abang, which placed a stay of execution on an earlier judgment that validated Sanusi II’s reinstatement as the Emir of Kano. The ruling also instructed all parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum, effectively restoring the situation to what it was before the trial court’s verdict on June 13, 2024, in Suit No. FHC/KN/CS/182/2024.
However, the Kano State Government challenged this decision, arguing that Justice Abang’s ruling contained serious constitutional misinterpretations.
“The March 14 ruling was a grave error in interpreting constitutional provisions,” Wangida contended, maintaining that an appeal had already been filed before the Supreme Court.
In response, counsel for the appellant, Abdul Fagge (SAN), did not object to the appeal, acknowledging that the respondent acted within constitutional provisions.
The Kano State Government reinstated Sanusi II as Emir of Kano after passing the Kano State Emirate Council (Repeal) Law 2024, which also led to the removal of Aminu Ado Bayero, the 15th Emir of Kano, along with four first-class emirs appointed by former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje.
Following his removal, Bayero returned to Kano and took residence at the Nassarawa mini palace under heavy security protection while legally contesting his dethronement.
With the case now before the Supreme Court, the final decision on the Kano Emirate tussle is expected to shape the future of traditional leadership in the state.
