Wazirin Katsina: 3 contestants emerge

Succession bid in Katsina is on top gear as three major contestants have emerged for the title of Wazirin Katsina following the resignation of Waziri, Professor Sani Abubakar Lugga.

 Two of the contestants are from Waziri Haruna family and they are Sarkin Fadan Katsina, Abdulkadir Ismaila, a member of the Katsina Emirate Council and Abdulaziz Isa Kaita, son of Waziri Isa Kaita.

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 The third, Maliki Zayyad, brother of late Waziri Hamza Zayyad, is from Waziri Zayyana family.

 Katsina has two Emir dynasties and two Waziri families. First was the Dallazawa Dynasty under Emir Ummarun Dallaje who was from the flag bearers of Sokoto Caliphate. He ascended the throne in 1806/07.

 The second was the Sullubawa Dynasty from the British who appointed Sarkin Katsina Muhammadu Dikko in 1906/07. Waziri Haruna was appointed in 1906/07 as the first Wazirin Katsina with British approval by Sarki Muhammadu Dikko. Waziri Zayyana was appointed in 1928 after native authority reform in northern Nigeria.

 In order to make relations strong, Emir Dikko married Waziri Haruna’s daughter to his son who later succeeded as Emir Usman Nagogo from the Sullubawa dynasty.

 She was the mother of late General Hassan Usman Katsina.

 Moreover, Emir Usman Nagogo married the daughter of Waziri Zayyana to his son who succeeded as Emir Muhammadu Kabir Usman.

 She was the mother of Durbin Katsina, Aminu Kabir.

 Therefore, both Waziri houses have strong marital ties with the Dikko dynasty, from which the present emir, Dr Abdulmumini Kabir Usman hails.