Kano State House of Assembly Tuesday passed the Emirate Councils Amendment Bill 2020, which among other things permanently returned the chairmanship of the Central Council of Emirs in the State to the Emir of Kano.
This development means the Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, will remain the chairman of the Central Council of Emirs in the state, thus ending the hopes of the emirs of Gaya, Karaye, Rano and Bichi of assuming the position.
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Daily Trust reports that Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje on December 5, 2019, signed into law an amendment bill creating the four new emirates and making the chairmanship of the Central Council of Emirs in the State rotational among the five emirs.
This was at the time the deposed Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, was still grappling with the balkanisation of his emirate.
Before then, the Kano Emirs Appointment and Depositions Amendment Laws 2019, which initially created the four new emirates and was signed on May 8, 2019, did not provide for rotation as the Emir of Kano retained the chairmanship of the Central Council of Emirs in the state.
However, the May 8, 2019 law was quashed by the state High Court presided over by Justice Usman Na’Allah.
The House, presided over by the Speaker, Abdulazeez Gafasa, on Tuesday, adopted the latest amendment during plenary.
At the end of plenary, however, Majority Leader of the House, Kabiru Dashi, said the latest amendment made provision for the Emir of Kano to serve as the Chairman of the Council of Chiefs, thus, bringing the issue of rotation to an end.
“In the new law, the number of kingmakers has also increased from four to five members, to allow for a free and fair election of a new emir whenever vacancy exists.
“We have four kingmakers in each of the emirate councils.
“In the case of death or removal, we are trying to avoid a situation where two will support and two will reject.
“By increasing the number to five, it must be free and fair while electing an emir.
“Also, the new law will provide a three-day deadline for the election of a new emir,” he said.
Dashi added that the amended law had also changed the title of the Council of Chiefs, to the Council of Emirs.
Reacting to the development, the executive director of Centre for Awareness on Justice and Accountability (CAJA), Comrade Kabiru Sa’idu Dakata, one of those that challenged the creation of the new emirates, said they foresaw the development.
He said the first reform that suggested the rotation was done to offend the former emir.
Dakata said, “Of course, now that he is not the emir, they will reverse it to make Kano emir the permanent chairman.
“We know it was a reform that will not last long as even the governor that initiated it had to take it back to the lawmakers three different times for reform in just a year.
However, the state government said the amendment was based on what will serve the people’s best interest at the moment and was never to offend deposed Emir Sanusi.
The special adviser on Chieftaincy Affairs to the state governor, Tijjani Mailafiya Sanka said, “Before this, something similar was done in the old Kano State, when we were together with Jigawa.
“Then, the Emir of Kano was the chairman of the state council of emirs, while emirs of Kazaure, Gumel and Hadejia were members.
“This is just like a revisit.
“The decision was arrived at after consultations with various stakeholders,” he said.
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