Kano, Nigeria – The Kano State Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, Barrister Haruna Isa Dederi, has clarified that the recent ruling by the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, has not overturned the reinstatement of Muhammadu Sanusi II as the 16th Emir of Kano.
Speaking to journalists, Dederi emphasized that the court’s January 10, 2025, verdict, which upheld the Kano State Government’s authority to reappoint Sanusi, remains valid and binding. He asserted that the Appeal Court lacks the power to reverse its own decision, stressing that only the Supreme Court can do so.
“The Court of Appeal today, after hearing the application for a stay of execution, ruled that the status quo should be maintained as it is now until the Supreme Court delivers its judgment,” Dederi explained. “This does not mean that the January 10 judgment has been quashed—it is still in place and remains effective.”
The stay of execution application was filed by Alhaji Aminu Baba Dan Agundi, a key figure aligned with the 15th Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, as he seeks to challenge Sanusi’s reinstatement at the Supreme Court.
On January 10, a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal, led by Justice Mohammad Mustapha, had overturned an earlier Federal High Court ruling that nullified the actions taken by the Kano State Government under the Kano State Emirate Council (Repeal) Law 2024. This decision effectively affirmed Sanusi’s reinstatement.
However, dissatisfied with the ruling, Dan Agundi proceeded to the Supreme Court, also filing a motion to stay the execution of the appellate court’s judgment pending the Supreme Court’s final determination.
With the legal battle now at Nigeria’s highest court, all eyes remain on the judiciary’s next move in the ongoing emirship tussle.
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