The Kano State Government has reaffirmed that Muhammadu Sanusi II remains the 16th Emir of Kano, despite a recent ruling by the Court of Appeal in Abuja.
Addressing journalists on Friday, the state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Haruna Isa Dederi, clarified that the court’s decision does not invalidate Sanusi’s reinstatement.
He emphasized that the Court of Appeal had previously upheld the state government’s authority to reinstate the Emir in a ruling delivered on January 10, 2025.
Dederi stressed that the same court cannot overturn its own decision, stating that only the Supreme Court has the jurisdiction to do so.
His remarks followed the Court of Appeal’s ruling on a stay of execution request filed by Alhaji Aminu Baba Dan Agundi, a kingmaker aligned with the 15th Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero. The application seeks to halt the enforcement of Sanusi’s reinstatement until the Supreme Court delivers its judgment on the case.
Dederi explained that the ruling merely preserves the current situation pending the Supreme Court’s decision, confirming that the January 10 judgment remains valid.
“The Court of Appeal, after hearing their application for a stay of execution, ruled that the status quo should remain as it is until the Supreme Court delivers its judgment. They have filed an appeal at the Supreme Court.
“This does not mean that the judgment delivered on January 10, 2025, has been set aside. That ruling is still in effect. The Court of Appeal cannot reverse its own decision—only the Supreme Court has the authority to do so,” he said.
Sanusi II was initially removed as Emir of Kano on March 9, 2020, by the administration of former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, citing alleged insubordination and conflicts with the state government. Following his removal, he was sent into exile in Nasarawa State.
However, in May 2024, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf repealed the Kano State Emirate Council Law 2019, which had split the Kano Emirate into five smaller jurisdictions.
This paved the way for Sanusi’s reinstatement as the sole Emir of Kano, reversing the decision made by the previous administration.
On January 10, 2025, a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal, led by Justice Mohammad Mustapha, overturned an earlier ruling by the Federal High Court in Kano that had challenged the government’s actions under the Kano State Emirate Council (Repeal) Law 2024. This ruling affirmed Sanusi’s reappointment.
However, Dan Agundi contested the ruling at the Supreme Court and requested a stay of execution to delay its implementation until the final judgment is delivered.