Sanusi reveals why he didn’t contest hSanusi reveals why he didn’t contest his dethronement by Ganduje dethronement by Ganduje
The former Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has shared his reasons for not contesting his dethronement by the previous Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje.
In March 2020, Ganduje removed Sanusi, a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and subsequently banished him from the city. This decision sparked mixed reactions among various stakeholders at the time.
Sanusi, who was recently reinstated by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s administration, discussed the incident in an interview with Sun Newspaper. He emphasized that the Kano emirate is vast and has many qualified individuals, implying he was not entitled to the position by default.
When asked why he didn’t challenge his dethronement, Sanusi explained, “I don’t have a fundamental right to be an Emir. I am one of hundreds of princes. God chose me, and if God decides I should leave, I accept that.”
Sanusi received a letter stating he was dethroned for insubordination, without any prior query or chance to defend himself. He believed both the state and federal governments had decided it was his time to go. Sanusi stated that even if he had won a court case to be reinstated, he wouldn’t have wanted to work under Ganduje, who clearly disliked him and could have made his life miserable.
Sanusi reflected on the hypothetical scenario of being reinstated by the court: “Would I have been happy as an Emir working with that government? The governor has the power over you, and he made it clear he doesn’t like me. My life would have been miserable with constant fake stories and social media insults.”
He further highlighted a similar case involving the Emir of Gwandu, who was removed under Obasanjo and has been fighting for reinstatement for nearly 20 years without resolution from the Supreme Court.
Sanusi also mentioned that he would have challenged his removal if it had harmed his reputation, but since the allegation was merely insubordination, he felt no need to defend himself further.
“I didn’t go to court to challenge my removal. I went to court to challenge their attempt to keep me in exile and under house arrest to enforce my fundamental human rights, but not to contest the dethronement itself,” Sanusi concluded.
