New Emirates: You can’t usurp power of Kingmakers court tells Ganduje

A High Court in Kano State has given an interim order restraining the state governor from “taking away the powers” of the four kingmakers of the Kano Emirate under the Kano States Emirate Council Law, 2019.

The court presided over by Justice A. T. Badamasi also restrained the governor from “taking any step whatsoever under the law without consultation with the applicants pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.”

These are the two instructions that the order contained.

Counsel on the two sides of the matter have refused to comment on the orders granted by the court, but a Kano-based private lawyer, who would not want to be named, said the “court has not really restrained the state governor the way the applicants had prayed.

“First, the emir of Kano was not one of the applicants. Two, the order did not restrain the Emir of Kano from chairing the Council of Chiefs’ meeting, and three, the court has effectively recognized the Kano State Emirates Council Law, 2019. Also, the restriction given by the court does not involve the four new emirs.

“Only the governor was restricted, but don’t forget that all the powers given to the governor by the new law have already been exercised.

“Now, the question to be asked is what is the governor’s concern with the powers of the kingmakers? Their powers are to be exercised whenever there is a vacancy, and an emir is to be chosen to fill that vacancy.”