On Tuesday, June 18th, some social media pages were inundated with pictures showing that Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, visited Emir of Kano Muhammad Sanusi II.

The pictures posted by several social media platforms show Alhaji Aliko Dangote kneeling down and offering his traditional greetings to the Emir of Kano.

However, a fact check by Nigerian Tracker and information gathered from palace sources reveal that Alhaji Aliko Dangote never visited the palace on that date.

Another palace source told this newspaper that on the day the picture was posted, Alhaji Aliko Dangote supposedly visiting Emir Sanusi, the Emir did not even hold court throughout the day.

Nigerian Tracker further investigated and found that the picture showing Alhaji Aliko Dangote kneeling before Emir Sanusi II was actually taken around May 2019, which means it was five years ago, a year before the dethronement of Emir Sanusi on March 9, 2020.

Therefore, there is no truth to the claim that Alhaji Aliko Dangote visited Emir Sanusi II on Tuesday, June 18, 2024.

Reacting to the ruling, renowned constitutional lawyer, Professor Auwalu Yadudu, told Daily Trust that the judge’s pronouncements were strange and baffling by approbating and reprobating in the same breath.

He said the development was not helpful for the judicial process, stressing that the judge assuming jurisdiction on the fundamental human rights aspect and refusing the same on the validity of the substance of the case–the Kano emirates law–has “muddled up the case, and it is very unbecoming of a judge who has now been elevated to the Court of Appeal”.

Professor Yadudu clarified that while he was not accusing the judge of any impropriety, the pronouncements were unbecoming. “How can you say the actions taken in pursuant of a law are set aside, and then say you are not delving into the validity of the said law?” he queried.
Prof. Yadudu said further that the judge had more or less held that he lacked jurisdiction on the issue by transferring the case to another judge, but still went ahead to set aside the governor’s actions.

He said that the ex-parte order should no longer be of any currency because it is being challenged at the Appeal Court, and the judge himself admitted knowledge of this by granting a stay of proceedings and also deciding not to grant an order to nullify the law.

“All these are avoidable. It is not helpful for the judicial process. It is strange and doesn’t speak well of the judge. The question of whether the governor’s actions came before and after the exparte order is a question of fact or evidence. It seems from the record that the order came after,” he said.

-Daily Trust report

A Federal High Court in Kano has set aside all steps taken by Kano state government to repeal the Kano Emirates Council Law.

The Kano House of Assembly had repealed the law after which Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf implemented it by dethroning Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero as Emir of Kano.

The governor also reversed the creation of four emirates, Bichi, Rano Karaye and Gaya, and sacked the Emirs appointed by his predecessor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.

The law was also relied upon to re-appoint the 14th Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, who was dethroned by Ganduje in 2020, as the 16th Emir of Kano.

But a kingmaker in the former Kano emirate, Aminu Babba Danagundi, the Sarkin Dawaki Babba, challenged the propriety of the law and asked the court, through his counsel, Chikaosolu Ojukwu (SAN), to declare it null and void.

In his ruling on Thursday,  Justice Abdullahi Muhammad Liman set aside the action of Kano government, ordering parties to maintain status quo.

The judge held that the defendants were aware of the interim order granted by the court but chose to ignore it and went ahead with implementation of the law.

The judge held that he would assume his coercive powers to enforce compliance with his order.

However, the  judge transferred the case to Justice Simon Amobeda for continuation in view of his elevation to the Court of Appeal.

Daily Trust