Kurawa: Ganduje Should Rise Above Petty Politics on Kano Emirship
By Muhammad Naziru Muhammad
KANO —– Northern cultural heritage scholar, Malam Ibrahim Ado Kurawa, has urged former Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, to rise above what he described as “petty partisan politics” in his comments on the Kano Emirship dispute.
Kurawa made the remarks while reacting to Ganduje’s recent statement that only the Supreme Court could determine the fate of the emirship tussle involving Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II and Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero.
Speaking with journalists, Kurawa said Ganduje, as a former governor, should avoid making comments capable of creating unnecessary political tension around the traditional institution.
“As a former Governor, Ganduje should be above this petty partisan bickering,” Kurawa stated.
He argued that the matter before the Supreme Court was being misrepresented in the public space, insisting that the case had nothing to do with who occupies the Kano throne.
“The issue before the Supreme Court has nothing to do with who is the Emir of Kano or who is not. The case is about the alleged violation of fundamental rights and the issue of jurisdiction,” he explained.
Kurawa noted that lawyers representing both the Kano State Government and Alhaji Aminu Babba DanAgundi had clarified after the court proceedings that the substantive issue before the apex court was not the appointment of Emir Sanusi II.
According to him, the repeal of the Kano Emirate Council law by the Kano State House of Assembly and its assent by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf were never directly challenged in court.
“The appointment of Emir Sanusi was nowhere challenged in the suit. Somebody only went to court claiming his rights were violated following the repeal of the law,” Kurawa said.
He also questioned Ganduje’s recent attempt to distance himself from recognising Sanusi II as Emir after initially acknowledging him during the swearing-in ceremony of Deputy Governor Murtala Sule Garo.
Kurawa wondered why Ganduje presented his nephew before Sanusi II for coronation as the Village Head of Ganduje if he did not recognise him as the legitimate Emir of Kano.
“Why take your nephew before Sanusi for coronation if you do not recognise him as Emir?” he asked.
The scholar further revisited the 2019 Kano Emirate Law enacted during Ganduje’s administration, recalling that he was among those who challenged the legislation in court alongside the late Alhaji Bashir Tofa and others over procedural irregularities.
He said the State High Court later nullified the law, prompting Ganduje’s administration to return to the State Assembly to properly reenact it.
Kurawa maintained that Governor Yusuf equally followed constitutional procedures in repealing the emirate laws, stressing that political narratives should not be used to distort the real issues before the Supreme Court.
