Presidential Candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the 2023 General Elections and leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, clarified that he did not influence the reinstatement of Muhammadu Sanusi II as Emir of Kano.
He also vowed to dig further to find out how Sanusi was returned as Emir of Kano. Kwankwaso had originally crowned Sanusi as Emir in 2014, but Abdullahi Ganduje, who succeeded him, dethroned the monarch in 2020.
However, after the NNPP won the 2023 governorship election, Kwankwaso had indicated that Sanusi’s dethronement would be reconsidered.
Following the Kano House of Assembly’s repeal of the Emirate Council Law on Thursday, paving the way for Sanusi’s reinstatement, Kwankwaso addressed the issue with the BBC, stating, “I will go to Kano very soon and I will speak with some of the assembly members, especially the speaker, and the Governor on what is happening. Rabiu Kwankwaso has burnt his hands over dictating what to do. We are still with the Governor working together. It’s just a matter of offering advice and if you are not asked to, you keep quiet so long things are going right we just pray and hope that they succeed.”
When asked about his previous statement regarding the review of Sanusi’s dethronement, Kwankwaso clarified, “When I said we will revisit the case, I didn’t say the direction to follow. I just said it will be reviewed… When I go there, I will hear what happened and I am sure they will tell me whatever happened and whatever they tell me, we just pray for them. I heard the Assembly members have repealed the law.”
Regarding the future of the emirate in terms of political influence, he remarked, “Those that are looking at it from the perspective of whether it’s going to be tenure-based are somehow right but who started it? When I came back as Governor in 2011, everybody knew that late Emir of Kano, Ado Bayero, was not supporting us, he was supporting Shekarau but when we got into power we didn’t even think of dethroning him. This is why we are telling people that everybody should sit down where he belongs.”