Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Emir of Kano
Court of Appeal Overturns Ruling, Upholds Sanusi’s Appointment As Kano Emir
The Court of Appeal in Kano has annulled the June 20 order by Justice Abubakar Liman of the Federal High Court, Kano, which had invalidated actions taken by the Kano State Government under the Kano State Emirate Council (Repeal) Law 2024, including the reinstatement of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as the Emir of Kano.
In a ruling on January 10, a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal found that Justice Liman had no jurisdiction to hear the case filed by Alhaji Aminu Babba Dan Agundi, who challenged the new law.
The court stated that the Federal High Court did not have the authority to rule on issues related to state laws and traditional institutions, which fall under the jurisdiction of the State High Court.
The Court of Appeal’s lead judge, Justice Gabriel Kolawole, stated that the Federal High Court’s annulment of the steps taken by the Kano State Government was based on an incorrect assumption regarding jurisdiction. He emphasized that any order made by a court lacking jurisdiction is null and void. As a result, the Court of Appeal set aside Justice Liman’s June 20 order, including the annulment of actions related to the Emirate Council Law.
Justices Mohammed Mustapha and Abdu Dogo, who agreed with the decision, further disagreed with Justice Kolawole’s recommendation to send Agundi’s case back to the Kano High Court, suggesting that the case should be struck out entirely due to its improper initiation.
Also, the Court of Appeal ruled in favor of Aminu Ado Bayero, finding that his right to a fair hearing was violated in a related case in the High Court of Kano State.
The court ordered that Bayero’s case be heard afresh by a different judge.
The appellate court also imposed a cost of N500,000 against Agundi.