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| Sunusi Lamido Sunusi |
On March 10, 2020, ex-Governor Abdullahi Ganduje deposed Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi as Emir of Kano. This followed several attempts at reconciliation between the two. In an interview with Voice of America (VOA) Hausa, Abdulsalami Abubakar, former military Head of State, expressed that the reconciliation efforts were futile.
In 2019, Abubakar chaired the reconciliation committee tasked with intervening in the crisis. However, despite submitting a report to President Muhammadu Buhari, the situation escalated.
Let's delve into the timeline of events that led to the dethronement of the first-class king and his subsequent return to the throne:
1. June 1, 2009: Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, then Chief Executive Officer of First Bank, was nominated as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria by President Umaru Yar’Adua. His appointment was confirmed by the Senate shortly afterward.
2. February 2, 2014: President Goodluck Jonathan dismissed Sanusi for alleging that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) failed to remit a controversial $20 billion statutory fund into the federal government’s accounts.
3. June 8, 2014: Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso appointed Sanusi to succeed his granduncle, Ado Bayero, as the Emir of Kano.
4. May 29, 2015: Abdullahi Ganduje, Kwankwaso’s deputy, became Kano governor. His administration later queried Sanusi for allegedly misappropriating N3.4 billion.
5. December 2019: Ganduje assented to a bill splitting the Kano Emirate Council into five emirates, reducing Sanusi's influence.
6. March 9, 2020: The Ganduje administration dethroned Sanusi for ‘disrespecting lawful instructions’ and banished him to Loko Local Government Area in Nasarawa State.
7. November 30, 2021: The Federal High Court in Abuja declared Sanusi's banishment from Kano State as unlawful and unconstitutional.
Now, after four years, Sanusi has been reinstated as the Emir of Kano, marking a remarkable twist in this real-life "Game of Thrones."
