Bomb shell: Buhari ordered dethronement of Emir Sanusi — Kwankwaso

…Count Buhari out of Kano politics—Presidency

…President is a military man in civilian attire–Rights Group

  PHIL OKOSE, Onitsha

As the fire ignited by the Monday, March 9, 2020 dethronement and banishment of the former Emir of Kano Alhaji  Muhammadu Sanusi  continues to consume more victims, president Muhammadu Buhari has come out strongly to deny any involvement in the fate that befell Sanusi. The presidency said yesterday that it would amount to mischief for any person or group to drag President Buhari into the Sanusi saga. Sanusi’s dethronement was based on his alleged disrespect to constituted authorities alongside an accusation of fraud for which the Kano State House of Assembly has commenced investigations.

It would be recalled that the governor of Kaduna State Mallam Nasir El-Rufai had within 24 hours of Sanusi’s dethronement announced him as the Vice Chairman of the newly reconstituted board of Kaduna Investment Promotion Agency (KADIPA), a move which political observers described as counter offensive to storm brewing in Kano State.

“Malam Nasir El-Rufai has appointed His Highness, Muhammad Sanusi II into the board of KADIPA. The appointment is part of the reconstitution of the board of KADIPA, which is statutorily chaired by the Deputy Governor, and has as internal members senior officials of the Kaduna State Government.

“Governor El-Rufai said that Kaduna State hopes to benefit from the profile, experience, intellect and networks of His Highness, Muhammad Sanusi, who before becoming Emir, had built a solid reputation in global financial circles. Malam Nasir El-Rufai said that Kaduna State is honoured to be able to call on the services of a man of such calibre to drive its development”, a statement by El-Rufai’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Muyiwa Adekeye had read in part.

There have been insinuations in certain quarters that the presidency instigated the dethronement and subsequent banishment of Sanusi as a counter offensive to Sanusi’s ambition of contesting for the office of the president in the 2023 election.

The highest level of confrontation came for the quarters of the former governor of Kano State Rabiu Kwankwaso who on Wednesday alleged that President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the removal of Muhammadu Sanusi as Emir of Kano.

Kwankwaso made the allegation while describing the removal of Sanusi as a sad incident to both Kano State and Nigeria in general.

Speaking with BBC Hausa, the former governor who appointed Sanusi as the 14th Emir of Kano in 2014 said contrary to claims Buhari had intervened in the Kano emirate crisis.

He said: “We believe here in Kano that Buhari interferes where he wishes. Kano State government officials have been saying they were directed to dethrone Mr. Sanusi ll. Buhari instructed them.”

The former governor stated that Buhari “doesn’t interfere where his intervention is needed, but interferes on issues he is supposed to be neutral about.”

But Mallam Garba Shehu,  who is the Senior Special Assistant to the President  on Media & Publicity rose to the defence of the presidency describing such insinuations as untrue, malicious and politically motivated.

“The President does not have a history of intervening in the affairs of any state in the country, unless the issue at hand is of national consequence. On such matters which impinge on national security, he has a duty of involvement as the law stipulates.

As outlined in the Constitution, the appointment or removal of emirs and other traditional leaders is strictly within the jurisdiction of state governments. It is unfair and disingenuous of opposition politicians to try to link the situation in Kano State to the federal government and the Nigerian President”,  Garba had noted.

He observed that although Buhari  is a retired General and former Military Head of State, he clearly understands that under the current democratic dispensation, the government at the centre cannot read instructions or twist the arms of all or any of the 36 state governments making up the federation. “They all have their powers specified under the Constitution”, he further emphasised.

President Buhari he added has commended the people of Kano for keeping calm in the past few days of the dethronement announcement

Not convinced about the neutrality of the presidency in the fate that has befallen Sanusi, the former Kano sate Governor Alhaji  Kwankwaso  poured eulogies of Sanusi saying  “the emir (Sanusi) is a global citizen.”

The Kano State Government had on Monday dethroned Sanusi as the former Emir Kano banishing him to Nassarawa State. It was rumoured that part pf the conditions attached to his banishment was that he would not be allowed to return to Kano until after 10 years.

Joining issues with the presidency, , a human right organization, Human Dignity Restoration Association, HDRA, disclosed yesterday that President Muhammadu Buhari is not a democrat but a military man in civilian attire.

Making the disclosure during its periodic seminar held at Onitsha, Anambra State, its National President, comrade Jude Achebe said, “if it were to be in develop country, Buhari should honourably resign or get out of office through the power of the media and activists, but here it is I don’t care attitude of Nigerians and that has been the problem.

“His Corriculum Vitae show he is a military man of over 60 years running and this is a man that is the President of a civil society; what do you expect from him than dictatorship.

“To worsen the situation, the people around him are the ones pushing him. Sometimes when you ask him about disturbing national issues he will tell you I don’t know. He doesn’t even understand what governance is all about”

Continuing Mr. Achebe said “We are a civil society and as such our leaders should not be military but civilians who can involve you in decision making.  That is democracy. We will not relent in teaching people to know their right and how to defend themselves and that is the essence of this seminar. Soon we will open our London and Abuja branches”

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