The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar and the President, Dangote Group of Companies, Alhaji Aliyu Dangote, have concluded arrangement to wade into the cold war between President Goodluck Jonathan and the new emir of Kano, Malam Sanusi Lamido, with a view to making the president drop the charges pressed against the new emir.
Sunday Tribune learnt that the prominent traditional ruler would soon meet with the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, to lend a helping hand in order to resolve the issues surrounding the emergence of Sanusi as the new emir of Kano.
The choice of Oba Sijuwade was said to have been informed by the closeness of the monarch to the late emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, and the belief that he could help reconcile the sons of the late emir with the new emir of Kano.
It will be recalled that the Sultan had, in last week, condemned the deployment of security operatives to the emir’s palace in Kano, and similarly spoke about the allegation raised by the Kano State governor, Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, that Mr President was behind the violence that erupted in Kano city shortly after Sanusi emerged as the new emir.
The intervention of the Sultan, it was learnt, paved way for the eventual removal of security operatives stationed at the palace, thus facilitating the entry of the new emir to the palace.
A source, who preferred anonymity, told Sunday Tribune that Sultan Abubakar felt that the best way to resolve the crisis between the two personalities was to prevail on both President Jonathan and Sanusi to drop any case either instituted by the president or the new emir.
He added that the Sultan believed that whatever happened to the new emir of Kano was a collective problem of the Hausa/Fulani, adding that the new emir was a direct son of Othman Dan Fodio.
According to the source, “We are currently battling with insurgents across the North, it will not be right again to allow the tussle over emirship tear us apart. The Sultan of Sokoto believes in peaceful co-existence of the North, and the country in general; he, therefore, doesn’t want anything that will aggravate the problem confronting the region and the nation as well, hence his decision to resolve the crisis, stating that this mindset informed the decision of the Sultan to wade into the crisis.” Tribune
