Muhammadu Sanusi II, who was deposed as the Emir of Kano in 2020, has been reinstated by Governor Abba Yusuf. The announcement was made on Thursday following the governor’s signing of the Kano State Emirate Council (Repeal) Bill 2024 into law.
Governor Yusuf stated, “With the full support of the kingmakers, I have approved the reappointment of Malam Sanusi Lamido.” The new law effectively repeals the Kano State Emirates Council Law of 2019, which had established additional emirate councils and led to the creation of the emirates of Karaye, Bichi, Rano, and Gaya.
Sanusi II was originally dethroned by former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje in March 2020 following a prolonged dispute. The recent legislative changes, passed by the state assembly earlier on Thursday, dissolve the emirate councils created under Ganduje’s administration and restore the singular Emirate of Kano.
Deputy Speaker Muhammad Butu explained that the repeal was necessary to restore Kano’s historical unity and prestige, which had been compromised by the division into multiple emirates. Majority Leader Lawal Hussaini Chediyar Yan Gurasa added, “The abolished Emirates did nothing but create division among the indigenes of Kano. The unity which was visible for thousands of years in Kano was divided. We are now reverting to our old historical background; one Kano, one people, one Emir.”
The reinstatement of Sanusi II marks a significant shift in Kano’s traditional leadership and aims to consolidate the emirate’s historical identity and unity.
