The Court of Appeal in Abuja has halted the reinstatement of Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II as the Emir of Kano, putting his return to the throne on hold.
A three-member panel led by Justice Okon Abang delivered the ruling on Friday, suspending the implementation of the January 10 judgment that had overturned Sanusi’s removal. The appellate court determined that the initial nullification of his appointment by a Kano State High Court had been made without proper jurisdiction, and it ordered the matter to be transferred to the appropriate court.
In response to fresh applications seeking to delay the enforcement of the ruling pending an appeal at the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal ruled in favor of maintaining the status quo. Justice Abang emphasized that the court must exercise its discretion carefully, ensuring fairness and justice.
He also noted that Sanusi had served as emir for five years before his removal, which warranted consideration for protection under the law.
Earlier, Justice Gabriel Kolawole had declared that the matter should have been handled by the Kano State High Court instead of the Federal High Court.
This followed an earlier ruling in June 2024 by Justice Abubakar Liman of the Federal High Court in Kano, which nullified the Kano State Government’s Kano Emirates Council (Repeal) Law 2024—the legislation that had reinstated Sanusi II as the 16th Emir of Kano.
The case, originally filed by Aminu Baba-Dan’Agundi as a fundamental rights enforcement suit, resulted in an order for all parties to maintain the status quo under Emir Ado Bayero’s reign.
However, the appellate court ruled that the dispute was a chieftaincy and state legislative matter, not a fundamental rights issue, and should be decided by the Kano State High Court.
As part of the ruling, the appellate court ordered the transfer of the case from the Federal High Court to the Kano State High Court, where a different judge—unaffiliated with previous hearings—will preside over it.
Additionally, the court awarded a cost of N500,000 against Baba-Dan’Agundi in favor of the Kano State House of Assembly.
Despite differing opinions from Justices Mohammed Mustapha and Abdul Dogo, who argued that the case should be struck out rather than transferred, the court ultimately decided to dismiss the suit.
