The Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, on Friday, said the former Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi, was ousted because he did not understand the responsibilities of a traditional ruler.
Six years after ascending the throne, Sanusi was dethroned in March 2020 by the state government, “to safeguard the sanctity, culture, tradition, religion and prestige of the Kano Emirate built over a thousand years.”
Ganduje, who spoke on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, alleged that the former emir was unable to transition from a social critic to a traditional ruler, adding that the former emir forgot “to watch his tongue” and was destroying the institution.
The governor said, “The real story was that the deposed emir of Kano did not understand the responsibilities of a traditional ruler especially for a strong institution like that of Kano.
“The emir of Kano was a social critic, a celebrated social critic and there was nothing wrong with that because he is an educated person; there is freedom of speech.”
Ganduje noted that as deputy to former Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, Sanusi was an executive director in a bank.
The governor said, “He (Sanusi) made a statement that instead of providing water in the state, we were building a house in Abuja – the governor’s lodge in Asokoro.
“I remember my governor said either the bank sacks him or we should withdraw our accounts from the bank and the bank did not sack him, so we withdrew N969m from that bank. That was the work of a social critic.”
According to Ganduje, when Sanusi became the emir of Kano, he refused to change his stature to that of a traditional ruler.
“He is an economist but he failed to understand (that) in economics, you have to inherit assets and liabilities.
“But he only inherited the assets of a traditional institution by giving orders, staying in a mansion, dressing gorgeously, (and) being addressed as a king, but (not) the liability of that institution – you have to watch your words. You have to watch your tongue, and he didn’t do that.
“That was the problem. That was the biggest problem; that he could not change his mode of life from social critic to an institution.
“As of now, that institution does not afford a social critic of his style. With the problem in the society, he was destroying the institution. That was why I had a problem with him; he was destroying the institution,” Ganduje added.
Speaking on the next All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Ganduje said the slot should be given to the southern region.
“I think zoning should be respected as a strategy to win the election – the southern part of the country – but there should be a consensus from the members,” he stated.
