*Sanusi may return as only emir
*All district district heads appointed, elevated to go
From Mustapha Adamu, Kano
The Kano state House of Assembly has passed the Kano Emirates Council law (repeal bill) 2024 on Thursday.
This was sequel to deliberations on the floor of the House during plenary on Thursday.
The law, which was passed after scaling 3rd reading has abolished the establishment of 4 Emirate councils, including Bichi, Karaye, Gaya and Rano in the state.
The new bill would revert the state’s highest ranking traditional institution to its former structure of one emir as all the offices established under the repealed law had been dissolved.
This has sparked speculations across the state and environ that former Emir, Muhammadu Sanusi II, dethroned by former Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje may be reinstated by the current Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf.
The Kano House of Assembly bill had also provided that all district heads elevated or appointed under the repealed law are to revert to their previous positions.
The bill, titled Kano State Emirates Council (Amendment number 2) Law, 2024, was sponsored by the Majority Leader and member representing the Dala Constituency, Lawan Hussaini Chediyar Yan Gurasa.
Recall that the law former governor of the state, Abdullahi Ganduje, on December 5, 2019, assented to the law that created five new emirates in the state.
The governor assented to an amendment to the law on 14 October, 2020, after emir Muhammadu Sanusi was deposed and signed another amendment on 11 April, 2023.
Section 3(1) of the law established five distinct emirates; Kano, Bichi, Rano, Gaya and Karaye, with Kano and Karaye having eight local government areas of jurisdiction each, while Bichi and Gaya emirates share 9 local government areas of jurisdiction each, Rano Emirate enjoys jurisdiction over 10 local government areas out of the 44 local councils in the state.
Earlier the Deputy Speaker, Muhammad Butu-Butu explained that repealing the law would revive the lost glory of Kano as the division of Kano emirate to five reduced the capacity and dignity of the state at national level.
Also, the majority leader, Lawan Dala said that the emirate council served as a custodian of culture which was distorted by the creation of additional emirates.
Mr Dala explained that with the amendment of the law all the five emirate councils had been abolished while the commissioner for local governments would serve as the overseer.
The house also adopted a motion to create new second class emirate council in the state.
