A group of lawyers from Northern Nigeria, known as the Northern Lawyers’ Forum, has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf to rescind the reinstatement of Emir Muhammad Sanusi II.
At a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, the forum’s Director General, Barr Umar Sadiq Abubakar, argued that Sanusi’s reinstatement is unconstitutional and contrary to the traditions and customs of the Kano Emirate.
Abubakar claimed that Sanusi’s initial removal was in line with the laws and traditions of the Emirate, and his reinstatement would create chaos and undermine the rule of law in the state.
The lawyers accused Governor Yusuf of disregarding a Federal High Court ruling restraining him from reinstating Sanusi and instead obtaining an injunction from the Kano State High Court to vacate the subsisting order. This, they said, is a clear affront to the authority of the Federal High Court and a dangerous precedent that undermines the hierarchy of the country’s courts.
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The group warned that if the governor fails to retract his decision within 48 hours, they will take all necessary legal steps to protect the judiciary and the interests of the people of Kano State.
The statement partly reads: “It has become pertinent to again address you on the Executive rascality and gross disregard of the judiciary by the executive governor of Kano state, H.E Abba K. Yusuf.
“You will recall that prior to the reinstatement of deposed Muhammad Sanusi ii as Emir of Kano, a Federal High Court granted an order restraining the Governor of Kano state and every other party concerned from reinstating Mohammed Sanusi ii as Emir of Kano, but the executive governor of the state, H.E Abba k. Yusuf, in breach of the court order went ahead to reinstate Mohammed Sanusi ii as Emir of Kano state.
“We know that the judiciary is conservative and therefore look up to the bar to speak for it. As an organization of young lawyers who are irrevocably dedicated to an independent and free judiciary whose injunctions, judgements and orders must be enforced and obeyed, we are perturbed that a sitting governor who swore to protect our laws and constitution will flagrantly disregard a valid court order and engage in illegal actions that are capable of desecrating the hallowed temple of justice.
“We will not allow this to happen unchallenged. The age-long principle of constitutionalism is very clear that no man is above the law. The governor of Kano state, irrespective of how highly placed, is not an exception.”
This ultimatum comes amidst a growing controversy over Sanusi’s reinstatement, which has sparked tensions in the state. The lawyers’ move is seen as a challenge to the governor’s authority and a test of the judiciary’s independence.
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