FACT-CHECK: Is Sanusi Lamido Sanusi Scheming to Return as Emir of Kano?

FACT-CHECK: Is Sanusi Lamido Sanusi Scheming to Return as Emir of Kano?

CLAIM: A circulating 5-minute and 29-second Hausa video on WhatsApp suggests that the deposed Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, is allegedly plotting a return to the throne following Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s recent Supreme Court victory.

FULL-TEXT: The Hausa video which contains the claim reads, “Assalamualaikum, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf. Congratulations on your Supreme Court victory. I have a message for the deposed Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. As a Kano resident, Your Highness, Allah has bestowed upon you knowledge, wealth, and esteemed positions. You’ve excelled both in religious and secular domains, serving as the former governor of CBN and holding leadership roles globally.

“I encourage you to collaborate with the Kano Emirate Council and refrain from seeking a return to the throne. Embrace your destiny, understanding that you were destined to be the emir for a time and subsequently deposed. Accept this fate with the wisdom expected of an educated individual and a guiding figure…”

In a congratulatory statement shared on Muhammad Sanusi II’s Social Media, Saddam Nasir Na’anda Yakasai urged the Governor of Kano State to honour his commitment to reinstating Sanusi Lamido Sanusi to the revered throne, fulfilling a pledge made to the people of Kano.

Recall that Sanusi was ousted from the throne by the former governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, who is now the National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), citing alleged insubordination to his government in 2020.

In August 2023, six individuals were apprehended by the Kano police for reportedly expressing disapproval towards the Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado-Bayero, during the inauguration of Hasiya Bayero Paediatric Hospital at Kofar Kudu, near the emir’s palace, where the call for the substitution of Aminu with Sanusi under the slogan “new governor and new emir” originated.

VERIFICATION: PRNigeria observes that some actions and utterances of public figures and other respected personalities may have influenced some of the insinuations.

For instance Premium Times and Legit reported that the mother of the serving governor of Kano State, Hajiya Naja’atu Yusuf expressed her wishes and prayed for the reinstatement of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi while hosting the former Emir’s mother known as “Mai Babban Daki”, on a congratulatory visit to the Governor’s mother over his Supreme Court victory. 

In a video which was also posted on Facebook, Hajiya Naja’atu said, “May his days be long! May Allah return him to his home ‘Gidan Dabo’ (the descendants of former Emir, Ibrahim Dabo, who reigned between 1819 to 1846). By God’s grace, he will return to the house (Emir’s Palace) and continue the good work he started. Also Abba (the governor), may Allah guide him to continue doing the good work he started.

“They (the former emir and the governor) will join hands together and work for Nigeria and our state. They are the soldiers of truth and God-fearing people, Allah loves them, and we are proud of them, Alhamdulillah!,” the governor’s mother said in the 56-second video.

Similarly, former Governor of Kano State and the leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, according to a report by Daily Trust insisted that the issue of Kano emirates would definitely be revisited.

Rabiu Kwankwaso who was presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the 2023 elections, added that Governor Abba Yusuf would revisit the creation of new emirates and the appointments of emir in the state by the former administration.

PRNigeria noted that the ousted Emir, Sanusi, has not publicly expressed any desire to reclaim the historical throne in Kano since his removal in 2023.

While a video suggests congratulations to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf on his Supreme Court victory and expresses well-wishes for Sanusi’s return, further investigation finds no official statement from the government indicating an intention to reinstate Sanusi.

In July 2023, the Kano State Government falsified the claim that it had plans to replace reigning Emir Aminu with deposed Emir Sanusi.

When PRNigeria reached out to the spokesperson of the Kano Governor, Sanusi Bature, via phone call and message for clarification on the matter, he responded to the message with, “Salam. I do not have permission to speak on the issue.”

PRNigeria again reached out to the Chief of Staff of the dethroned emir to inquire about the claim regarding Sanusi’s potential return to the throne, but attempts to contact them have been unsuccessful.

CONCLUSION: Based on the facts gathered by PRNigeria, the Hausa video circulating on WhatsApp claiming that Sanusi Lamido Sanusi is scheming to return as Emir of Kano is unsubstantiated.

The governor’s mother’s hopes for reinstatement and Kwankwaso’s threat to revisit the composition of Kano Emirate do not imply an official plan as Sanusi himself has not expressed any desire to reclaim the throne since his removal in 2020.

Therefore, PRNigeria concludes that the claim has INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE to make it a fact. 

By PRNigeria