BREAKING: Appeal Court stops reinstatement of Sanusi II as Emir of Kano

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has put a hold on the reinstatement of Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II as the Emir of Kano, following a unanimous decision by a three-member panel led by Justice Okon Abang on Friday.

The ruling halted the implementation of the January 10 judgment that overturned the nullification of Sanusi II’s appointment by a Kano State High Court, which was deemed to have acted without jurisdiction.

The appellate court, ruling on fresh applications CA/KN/27M/2025 and CA/KN/28M/2025, found the request to suspend enforcement of the earlier judgment pending an appeal at the Supreme Court to be valid and necessary.

Justice Abang emphasized the need to preserve the subject matter, noting that Sanusi II had previously served as emir for five years and deserved legal protection.

The January 10 judgment by Justice Gabriel Kolawole had determined that the nullification of Sanusi II’s appointment should have been handled by the Kano State High Court instead of the Federal High Court, which was a procedural error.

Previously, the Federal High Court in Kano, presided over by Justice Abubakar Liman, had on June 20, 2024, invalidated the Kano Emirates Council (Repeal) Law 2024, which had reinstated Sanusi II as the 16th Emir of Kano. It also directed all parties to maintain the status quo under the reign of Emir Ado Bayero.

The Court of Appeal cited Section 251 of the Nigerian Constitution and Section 22(2) of the Federal High Court Act, affirming that the dispute was a chieftaincy and state legislative matter that should be decided by the Kano State High Court or the FCT High Court, not the Federal High Court.

As a result, the court directed the transfer of the case to the Kano State High Court, assigning it to a judge who had not previously handled the matter. Additionally, a cost of N500,000 was awarded against the petitioner, Aminu Baba-Dan’Agundi, in favor of the Kano State House of Assembly.

However, due to differing judicial opinions among the appellate justices, the case was ultimately struck out instead of being transferred.

The appeal stems from multiple cases before the Federal High Court, including CA/KN/126/2024, CA/ABJ/140/2023, CA/ABJ/142/2024, CA/KN/200/2024, and CA/KN/161/2020, all linked to the dispute over the emirship of Kano.