The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Friday ordered a fresh hearing into the Kano Emirate impasse.Delivering judgment, the three-member panel of justices led by Mohammed Mustapha, faulted the verdict of the Kano state high court.
The high court had stopped Aminu Bayero and four other dethroned emirs of Bichi, Rano, Gaya and Karaye from parading themselves as emirs.
The appellate court held that in the ruling delivered by Amina Aliyu, the trial judge on July 15, 2024, Bayero was denied fair hearing due to the “shoddy manner” the high court conducted its proceedings.
Mustapha held that the high court was unfair to Bayero by conducting proceedings without serving him a hearing notice to enable him present his case.
The panel held that all courts of law are bound to ensure justice for all parties by giving them equal opportunities.
He added that the conduct of the proceedings against Bayero amounted to a travesty of justice.
Consequently, the appellate court ordered that the case be remitted to the chief judge of the Kano state high court for reassignment to another judge for expeditious determination of the Kano Emirate tussle.
Lamido Sanusi was reinstated as emir by Abba Yusuf, governor of Kano, at a colourful ceremony in the government house on May 24.
The Kano House of Assembly repealed the law that Abdullahi Ganduje, former governor of the state, used to depose and exile Sanusi in 2020.
The repeal paved the way for the reinstatement of Sanusi and the dethronement of Bayero.
The Sanusi Original dethronement…
On 9 March 2020, Sanusi was dethroned by Governor Abdullahi Ganduje. Sanusi was in his private residence in Gidan Rumfa when he learnt of his removal, while awaiting for state officials to formally serve him the deposition letter a contingent of police, military, and security operatives stormed the palace.Sanusi later accepted his dethronement as a divine act and urged his supporters to remain calm and avoid bloodshed.He also urged them to declare bay’ah to his successor Aminu Ado Bayero, and stated “It is a thing of pride that made us to rule and end in the same fashion as the Khalifa,” in reference to his grandfather Muhammadu Sanusi I, who was also deposed and exiled in 1963.
