The Court of Appeal in Abuja has nullified an injunction issued by the Kano State High Court, which prohibited Aminu Ado-Bayero, the 15th Emir of Kano, and the former emirs of Bichi, Rano, Gaya, and Karaye from performing their duties as traditional rulers.
In its ruling on Friday, a three-member panel led by Justice Mohammed Mustapha criticized the lower court’s decision, delivered on July 15, 2024, for violating the principles of fair hearing.
The appellate court has now directed the Chief Judge of the Kano State High Court to reassign the case to a different judge for a fresh trial.
“The decision of the Kano High Court was marred by procedural irregularities and violations of the right to a fair hearing,” the Court of Appeal stated, adding that such flaws necessitated its intervention to uphold the integrity of the judicial process.
Despite the ruling, the case remains unresolved, continuing a contentious legal battle over the leadership of the Kano Emirate. The dispute escalated following the passage of a new law by Governor Abba Yusuf last year, which reinstated former Emir Lamido Sanusi, who had been deposed in 2020 by the previous administration of Governor Abdullahi Ganduje.
The law dissolved the four additional emirate councils—Gaya, Karaye, Rano, and Bichi—created during Ganduje’s tenure, merging them back into the singular Kano Emirate. This move dethroned the emirs of the newly created emirates, including Ado-Bayero, sparking a wave of conflicting court decisions over the rightful claimant to the throne.
Friday’s appellate court decision to reopen the case underscores the prolonged uncertainty surrounding the Kano Emirate’s leadership, with no definitive resolution yet in sight.
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