The Presidency has condemned reports linking President Muhammadu Buhari to the dethronement of HRH Muhammadu Sanusi II from the position of Emir of Kano.
In a statement, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu referred to such reports as unfair and untrue.
He said that the President has no involvement whatsoever in the dethronement of HRH Muhammadu Sanusi II, adding that all such insinuations are untrue, malicious and politically motivated.
According to him, 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,” he stated,
Mr. Shehu explained that, although a retired General and former Military Head of State, President Buhari 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,” the statement added.
He (Buhari) commended, and the people of Kano for keeping calm in the past few days of the dethronement announcement and prayed that the will of Allah will be done at all times and that the Emirate/State and its people continue to experience progress irrespective of who is on the throne.
Also, the Attorney-General of Kano State, Ibrahim Muktar, says the state government did not banish the deposed Emir, Muhammad Sanusi II.
Muktar said the state government was clear in its press statement on Monday that Sanusi was deposed but never made any reference to any banishment.
The Kano AG said this on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Wednesday.
He said, “If you listen to the Secretary to the State Government when he was addressing the press on the issue of the removal of the emir from office, there was nowhere he stated that the emir was banished from Kano State to Nasarawa.
“So, the decision of the government when the emir was removed on Monday was that he was removed from office and a new one appointed. The issue of banishment was not part of the decision of the Kano State Government.
“We have been hearing from the media that he has been banished but what I know is that he was taken out of Kano State but banishment was not part of our decision. There is no such decision to the best of my knowledge.”
Muktar said security agents decided to whisk Sanusi away from Kano State due to intelligence reports they had.
He said it was normal practice for deposed emirs to be moved away to maintain peace in the state, adding that such an action was not in contravention of the constitution which guarantees freedom of movement.
The AG further stated that Sanusi was not removed because of the corruption probe but strictly because of insubordination.
He said, “The state government has not taken the law into its hands. Let me explain that the decision to remove the emir from office is administrative and was not based on the issues pending before the court. All the issues pending before the court have not to do with the removal of the emir or the dethronement.”
When asked if the anti-corruption agency in Kano would continue with Sanusi’s probe, Muktar responded, “No decision on that actually. I cannot pre-empt the position of the government on whether investigation will stop or will continue. I cannot say as of now.”
Sanusi has been in Nasarawa State since his removal on Monday and has been denied access to visitors, according to his lawyers.
