The Court of Appeal in Kano has set aside the June 20 order by Justice Abubakar Liman of the Federal High Court, Kano, nullifying the steps taken by the Kano State Government pursuant to the Kano State Emirate Council (Repeal) Law 2024, including the appointment of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as the 16th Emir of Kano.
In a judgment on Friday, a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal, Kano, which sat in Abuja, held that the order nullifying the steps taken by the Kano State Government pursuant to the 2024 Emirates Council Law was made by Justice Liman without jurisdiction.
The appellate court found that the fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by an aggrieved king maker – Alhaji Aminu Babba Dan Agundi – on which basis Justice Liman issued the June 20 order, was not only invalid, the Federal High Court lacked the jurisdiction to hear it
The judgment was on an appeal by the Kano State House of Assembly and its Speaker marked: CA/KN/140/2024 against Agundi and others.
The Kano State House of Assembly enacted the Kano State Emirate Council (Repeal) Law 2024 on
May 23 last year, which the state governor assented to on the same date.
Pursuant to the new law, the Kano State Government among others, sacked Aminu Ado Bayero as Kano Emir, reinstated Mohammed Sanusi as Emir, and reversed the creation of five new Emirates by the preceding administration of Umar Ganduje.
In his June 20 ruling, Justice Liman voided all the steps taken by the Kano State Government pursuant to the 2024 Emirate Council Law on the grounds that they were taken in violation of his earlier order made on May 23, 2024, directing parties, in Agundi’s fundamental rights suit, to maintain status quo.
