A Federal High Court in Kano State invalidated all actions taken by the Kano State government to repeal the Kano Emirates Council Law 2024.
The Kano House of Assembly had initially repealed this law, which led Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to implement it by removing Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero from his position as the Emir of Kano.
Additionally, the governor reversed the establishment of the four emirates, Bichi, Rano, Karaye, and Gaya that had been created by his predecessor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
The repealed law had also been used to reinstall Muhammadu Sanusi II, who was dethroned by Ganduje in 2020, as the 16th Emir of Kano. However, Aminu Babba Danagundi, a kingmaker in the former Kano emirate known as Sarkin Dawaki Babba, contested the legality of this law.
Represented by his counsel, Chikaosolu Ojukwu (SAN), Danagundi petitioned the court to declare the law null and void.
On Thursday, Justice Abdullahi Muhammad Liman ruled to overturn the actions of the Kano government and directed all parties to maintain the status quo ante.
Additionally, NewdayReporters had reported on Wednesday that human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, criticized the decisions of both the Federal High Court and the National Industrial Court regarding the emirship dispute in Kano State, calling these decisions “highly erroneous.” Falana argued that these decisions could not be justified under Sections 251 and 254 (C) of the constitution.
Falana, a prominent human rights lawyer, expressed his views in a statement titled “Federal High Court and National Industrial Court Lack Jurisdiction To Determine Chieftaincy Matters.”
He advised judges and lawyers to recognize that disputes involving chieftaincy and other local matters fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of the High Court of each state.
He maintained that, despite the country operating under a distorted federal arrangement, chieftaincy is not a matter of fundamental rights and cannot be enforced under the provisions of section 31 of the Constitution.
