Trouble looms for Emir Sanusi in Kano

  

Trouble looms for the Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, following moves by the state House of Assembly on Monday to create four additional emirate councils in the state, just as the state Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission has invited his two uncles and brother over their roles and that of the emirate in alleged financial misconduct. Also invited by the state anti-graft agency over allegations of financial impropriety is the accountant to the emirate who is expected to appear before agency on Thursday. The emir’s two uncles invited for questioning are Isa Sanusi Bayero and Mannir Sanusi Bayero, who is chief of staff to the emirate council while the emir’s brother, Mujitaba, who is the Falaki of Kano and the accountant of the council, Muhammad Sani Kwaru were also invited by the state anti-graft agency. Our correspondent reports that the move by the state assembly is aimed at elevating the status of some district heads in the emirate to first class emirs, thereby reducing the sphere of influence of the Kano monarch. An indication that all is not well with the emir and the state government emerged at Monday’s plenary of the Kano State House of Assembly, when the Speaker, Kabiru Alhassan Rurum, read a petition brought to the House for consideration by a legislator, Ibrahim Salisu and others, requesting the House to commence moves to create new emirates in the state. The move sought the nod of the legislators to accede to the demand, which was eventually presented on the floor of the House with the lawmakers making their individual contributions for and against the petition before the House adjourned its sitting to Tuesday for further continuation of debate. Presently, about 13 legislators have already assented to the petition while the former Speaker of the House, Isiyaku Ali Danja, who is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), vehemently resisted the prayer, urging his colleagues in the House to maintain the status quo by allowing the existence of only one emirate council in the state. According to the petitioner, his demand is in consonance with the Kano Emirate Council amendment law, a position the House Majority Leader, Baffa Babba Danagundi concurred with. In a related development, the emirate is enmeshed in yet another scandal of financial misconduct following the invitation of two uncles and a brother to Emir Sanusi II by the state anti-graft agency to explain their roles and that of the emirate over alleged financial misconduct. The Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission also invited the accountant to the emirate to appear before it on Thursday over the same allegation of financial impropriety. The invitees are alleged to either have knowledge of the allegation against the emirate council or have allegedly participated in the alleged act under the instruction of the royal council. The letter sent to all the invitees stated that “the allegation violates Section 26 of the Commission’s Enabling Law in the management of Kano State Emirate Council funds covering the period of 2013 – 2017.” It would be recalled that similar allegations of financial misappropriation had been leveled against the emirate council under Emir Sanusi’s watch. A top brass from the emirate council, who expressed worry over the scandal, said that “this is not fair to the image of the revered emirate council. If this allegation of financial impropriety turns out to be true, after the application of the commission’s enabling law followed by other legal battle, the Kano emir could be a proverbial golden fish.”