Apparently disturbed by the trending reports emanating from Kano State, the northern elders, under the umbrella of Northern Elders Forum, have resolved to wade into the crisis between Governor Abdullahi Ganduje and Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II that has lingered for a long time now.
The elders, in a letter dated December 15 and signed by the chairman of the forum, Ango Abdullahi addressing Walin Kano, Mahe Bashir-Wali, disclosed that they would be at Kano on Sunday to broker peace between Messrs Ganduje and Sanusi.
The forum, according to the letter, said they had resolved to mobilise eminent northern personalities, elders and all category of leaders and stakeholders in the North to intervene and find a lasting solution to the matter.
While expressing worry over the lingering crisis, the forum said that the face-off, “is pregnant with unforeseen circumstances that ultimately threaten the integrity of the entire Kano traditional institution, overall peace and security of the state and by extension, the cohesion of the northern region.”
Kano Council of Chiefs Chairmanship Crisis
Recall that on December 9, Mr Ganduje had announced the appointment of Mr Sanusi as the council chairman and directed him to “immediately summon the inaugural meeting of the Council in accordance with the provisions of the Law.”
However, a week after the appointment, Emir Sanusi allegedly kept the governor in limbo as to whether or not he had accepted the appointment, a development that elicited the governor to issue a 2-day ultimatum to the emir directing him to declare his position on the matter.
In the ultimatum letter, the governor stated that, “the acceptance or otherwise should reached (sic) His Excellency the Executive Governor of Kano State within two days of the receipt of this letter”.
However, barely 24 hours after the issuance of the ultimatum, the emir accepted the appointment as contained in a letter dated December 19 and signed by the acting Secretary, Kano Emirate Council, Abba Yusuf, to the Secretary to the State Government.
In the letter sighted by DAILY NIGERIAN, the emir stated that he did not reject the appointment.
Mr Sanusi, however, requested for further directives from Governor Ganduje regarding the appointment of other members of the council.
According to the emir, Mr Ganduje needed to issue another directive on the appointment of staff of the council, provision of accommodation for the council secretariat and other logistics to make the council operational.
