Northern Elders Forum, NEF, has disagreed with President Muhammadu Buhari’s position on the feud between the Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje and the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II.
Recall that the president has stated that he has no constitutional right to interfere in the feud between Governor Ganduje Emir Sanusi that has lingered for years on end.
READ ALSO: Kano Emirate Crisis: 22 civil society organisations call for resignation of new emirs
A statement by a presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu quoted Mr Buhari as stating this on February 7, while receiving the governor and newly elected legislators on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, from Kano State.
The President said: “I know my role as the President of Nigeria. By the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Governor of Kano State has his own roles, once a matter is in the hands of the House of Assembly (like in Kano), the President has no constitutional right to interfere.
“I am here by the constitution, I swore by it, and I am going to stand by it. But let me tell you the bottom line of my understanding of the constitutional role is that peace and security of all Nigerians must be guaranteed, where the people are threatened, then I will use my constitutional powers.”
However, speaking with the BBC Hausa Service monitored by The Vanguard in Kaduna on Tuesday, the spokesperson of the forum, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed said the President’s remarks were not reliable.
According to him, there were several ways of resolving the dispute by the President, stressing that is is unfortunate for Mr Buhari to be aloof over the matter.
“We as elders from the North were the first to be in Kano so as to find ways of resolving the matter.
“While we were there, we suddenly heard that the President had set up his committee on the matter.
We had gone far in this matter, but to our knowledge, the President’s committee had not started work.
Asked whether they had tried to advise the President over the crisis, Dr.Baba Ahmed said it was not possible because even the committee set up by the President was, allegedly snubbed by Buhari.
“He said he would not talk over the matter citing the constitution”, the spokesman alleged.
