· Why he stripped former emir’s son and his rival to the throne of traditional title
· ‘Bayero disrespected the crown’ – palace sources
By Ola Ayodele
Not all the sludge in the Goa oil spill can tarnish the balm from an anointed king; in the same vein, the pant of dissenting subjects can hardly depose monarchy installed by fate and a fawning kingdom – but does the Emir of Kano, His Royal Majesty Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, know that? If he does, would certainly know better than to stoke the embers of dissension and mischief within the ranks of his virulent critics.
As you read, the Kano emirate grapples with shock and disbelief over the emir’s decision to strip the eldest son of his predecessor, the late Emir Ado Bayero, Lamido Bayero, of his traditional title of Ciroman Kano and District Head of Gwale.
Since HRM Sanusi stripped Lamido of his title, the Kano emirate has been cast in a state of flux and political intrigues as loyalists to HRM Sanusi marshal convincing arguments in defense of what has been widely termed as a controversial decision. According to them, the emir had no choice but to take that decision given Bayero’s intransigence and disrespect to the crown and his supremacy.
Lamido Bayero allegedly set himself up for disgrace immediately after HRM Sanusi was enthroned as the new Emir of Kano. Sources within the palace revealed that few months after ascending the throne, the new emir wrote to Lamido Bayero, requesting that he returned to his duty as Ciroman Kano and District Head of Gwale.
Bayero however, refused to respond to the emir’s letter even as he kept his distance from the palace. This infuriated the new emir but he allegedly struggled to keep his cool and maintain a mature disposition over the matter particularly in the wake of Bayero’s appointment by former President Goodluck Jonathan as the Managing Director (MD) of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).
Jonathan allegedly compensated Lamido Bayero with the NPA job while establishing his liking for the late emir’s son as the preferred ascendant to the throne. HRM Sanusi subsequently sheathed his displeasure until Bayero was relieved of his duty as MD of the NPA by President Muhammadu Buhari. Soon after he was sacked by President Buhari, the emir directed the Emirate Council to write to Bayero again but he neither responded nor appeared in person to explain his reasons for keeping away from his office and the emirate.
HRM Sanusi according to palace sources, reasoned that the local government of Gwale was too important to be left vacant, and so he elevated the son of Emir Inuwa to be the district head and subsequently stripped Bayero of the title of Ciroma.
However, in order to prevent unwarranted speculations and douse tension within the palace, HRM Sanusi allegedly appointed Lamido Bayero’s younger brother, Nasiru, to replace him as the new Ciroman Kano.
A statement by Galadiman Kano, Abbas Sunusi, said the removal and the subsequent replacement were with immediate effect. It would be recalled that Bayero was touted as the heir apparent of the Kano throne; however, he lost to the current emir, HRM Sanusi, despite the immense support he received from former President Jonathan, who allegedly preferred him to the new emir, who was then holding a mid-cadre title of Dan Majen Kano.
Since he lost the coveted seat to Sanusi, Bayero banished himself to Abuja and refused to pledge allegiance to the new emir as required by tradition.
Despite concerted efforts by notable personalities in the state to counsel Bayero and convince him to pay homage to the new emir, he remained adamant, bemoaning his loss of the throne that seemed every inch his birthright until a last minute maneuver by the emirate traditional council and state government denied him his coveted prize.
Loyalists to the new emir, HRM Sanusi, however, argued that the latter’s ascension to the throne was ordained by “Almighty Allah.” According to a source within the palace, HRM Sanusi possessed undeniable rights to the throne and there is evidence in history to support this. HRM Sanusi always had a right to the throne from childhood; that right was allegedly denied him when his late father died as an emir and the immediate past emir, his uncle, Ado Bayero, was granted free pass to the throne.
Thus while Lamido Bayero camp tout him as the preferred candidate who was cheated off the emirate throne and persistently hounded by his cousin and new Emir of Kano, HRM Sanusi, the latter’s apologists and prominent chieftains of the emirate’s traditional council, argue that he (Emir Sanusi) is actually a blue blood with the strongest claim to the exalted throne that he now occupies.
Left to them, Sanusi is not hounding or witch-hunting Bayero as that would be totally unbecoming of a true king rather he was forced to take the decision he took and strip him of his titles having exhausted available means of getting him (Bayero) to reconcile with his traditional and spiritual authority.
Whatever the case, HRM Sanusi will do better to exercise greater restraint and compassion in dealing with his subjects, according to eminent citizens of Kano. This is because as a leader, he is expected to accommodate and deal with both palatable and unpalatable circumstances and persons with unrivalled tact, maturity and grace; and these are the true measures of a king ordained by God, they claimed.
