Kano: Why Gandunje May Not Dethrone Sanusi , Emir Of Kano?

By Suleiman Umaru

 Muhammadu Sanusi, a former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and now Emir of Kano, appears to have been saved from Abdullahi Gandunje, governor of Kano state  sledge  over alleged  allegations of  over N4 billion Corruption  with the intervention of Aliko Dangote, a multi-billionaire business mongul and President Dangote Group  of Companies  and Kayode Fayemi, governor of Ekiti state and Chairman, Nigerian Governors Forum, NGF, as well  as other meaning Nigerians. 

Note that Gandunje  has left nobody in doubt that he meant business when he gave the nod to the state Public Coplaints and Anti-Corruption Commission  headed by Muhuyi  Magaji, to investigate  how the Emirate  Council, spent all the financial allocations to the Palace between 2013 and 2017.

 Initially , Sanusi, had seen  the probe as a laughable matter but when he saw the seriousness of the Magaji led  investigation panel , he knew  governor  was out  really out for him.  There were Complains by the investigators of plot by the Emir to frustrate them from carrying out  their  job which was  said to have reached the state governor who did not find it funny.  He was said to have encouraged  Magaji and his team to persevere  and continue the investigation until  they get to the  root of the matter.

 Political watchers believe that the essence of the probe was ostensibly to expose the Kano Monarch that he is corrupt and to prepare the ground to dethrone  and banish him from Kano Emirate. With the support of the governor, the panel  had stepped up their investigation of the financial allocations  to the Palace in the last five years and how the Emir spent it. True to people’s initial fear that the probe was aimed at exposing the Emir  and to give Gandunje, the state governor, an opportunity to dethrone him.  Indeed, the  probe had exposed the Emir of having spent over  N4 billion allocation to the Palace between 201 and 2017, which he could not really account for.

 Angered by the report  of the state Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission on the Monarch,  the governor had queried him  over the alleged mismanagement of  the Emirate funds to the tune of over  N4 billion.

 In an apparent reaction to the query, the Emir , noted  that  he was not the ”accounting officer  of the Emirate Council’, stating that  the role was played by the Secretary of the Emirate Council.

‘It was not surprising why the acting Secretary of the Council responded to the query at the instance of the Emir , to beat the 48 hours deadline given by the state governor. He stressed  that at  the  time the former CBN, governor, was ”installed as  the Emir of Kano,  the exact  amount in the accounts  of the Emirate Council  was only about N2 billion, an indication that there was no way the Emir could have spent  an alleged over  N4 billion between   2013 and 2017.

 The Emir’s close associates  within and outside the Kano Emirate Council may have read the handwriting on the wall that Ganduje , the state governor and  the Cabal in the government House and his Collaborators in the Kano  Emirate Council who were not comfortable with the radicalism of the  Emir, that they felt the only way out  was  to silence him  would be to  threaten of  dethroning  him to whip him to shape. It was not surprising why Dangote,  the multi-billionaire indigene of Kano state had to to quickly step to call a truce between the duo.

He was said to have been joined by  Fayemi, governor  of Ekiti state and Chairman, NGF, in the search for peace  between the two prominent figures in the state. The duo were said to have initiated dialogue  between  them in a bid to ensure  a healthy  working relationship between the state government and The Kano Emirate Council. Gandunje and the Monarch were said to have attended the peace meeting at an undisclosed location in Abuja which was held shortly after  the completion of the Ramadhan Fast and the Sallah festive period.

The duo may have fixed the meeting at such aus to ensure that the two leaders would have time to attend.  They were said to have exchanged pleasantries when they met at the meeting , an indication that it  is the fifth Columnists in the state that are causing the problem between the two institutions. 

A Statement  by Abba Anwar, the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, CPS, clearly shows that there was no basis for the  frosty relationship between Gandunje, the state governor and the Emir . According to him,   the two leaders had urged the Muslim Community  to imbibe the good teachings of Prophet Muhammed  and the Spirit of the Fasting period.

The diologue, which was said to be  at the instance of Dangote and Fayemi, the NF, Chairman, , was said to havelooked at the report of the state Public Complaints Commission,  headed by Magaji , which had indicted the Emir , on allegations of Corruption  to the tune  of  about N4 billion.

The duo may have achieved their purpose of  initiating the dialogue between the two leaders as the  Emir , took the opportunity to officially Congratulate  Ganduje over his victory in the last governorship in the state. He had ”wished the governor a successful tenure in office.

The meeting was said to have ended on happy note. Political watchers fear that the hard liners in the Gandunje government who  are not happy  with him for dialoguing  with Sanusi, may force him to change his mind.  They cited Magaji, the Chairman of the state Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission  who has never his position  as he had appeared on Channels Television recently  where he categorically stated that ”as far as he is concened , the Commission has  no business with  dialogue between the  governor and the Emir”.

An angry Magaji who could not hide his feelings  had said ,  ”We do not care about any dialogue between  the governor and the Emir”, stressing that as an independent body , they have done their  job   as it ought to be done as a ”professional body” . He is optimistic that the governor will not betray  the Commission by sweeping its report under the carpet. 

”What we are waiting  now is a response  from the government  on our earlier recommendations  of suspending  the Emir , to pave way for the  investigation” of the financial allocations to the Emirate since Sanusi, was crowned the Emir. he insists that the investigation of the Kano Emirate Council is ongoing, dialogue or no dialogue between the governor and Sanusi II.

But  political analysts believe that the intervention of the multi-billionaire  Dangote and Fayemi, the NGF, Chairman, may have  softened the mind of Gandunje, the Kano state governor from  implementing  the  recommendation of the Magaji led  state Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission.