Sanusi
Appeal Court Suspends Emir Sanusi’s Reinstatement, Awaits Supreme Court Verdict
The Court of Appeal in Abuja, on Friday, suspended the enforcement of its earlier judgment that overturned a Federal High Court ruling nullifying the Kano State Government’s actions to reinstate Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), as the Emir of Kano.
The decision was made by a three-member panel led by Justice Okong Abang, pending a final ruling by the Supreme Court on the Kano Emirate dispute under the Kano State Emirate Council (Repeal) Law 2024.
Sanusi’s reinstatement followed the enactment of the Kano State Emirate Council (Repeal) Law 2024 by the State House of Assembly, which repealed the 2019 law that had created five emirates from the original Kano Emirate.
However, the move was challenged by Alhaji Aminu Babba-Dan’agundi, a kingmaker with the title of Sarkin Dawaki Babba, who filed a lawsuit against the Kano State House of Assembly, its Speaker, the Attorney General of Kano State, and security agencies, including the Department of State Services (DSS).
In June 2024, Justice Abdullahi Muhammad-Liman of the Federal High Court in Kano nullified all actions taken by the state government under the 2024 law, declaring them “null and void” but upheld the validity of the law itself. The court ordered all parties to maintain the status quo.
Dissatisfied with the ruling, the Kano State House of Assembly and other respondents appealed to the Court of Appeal, which in January 2025 overturned the lower court’s decision, stating that the trial court lacked jurisdiction. The Appeal Court ordered a retrial of the case.
Following this, Babba-Dan’agundi filed an application seeking an injunction to prevent the enforcement of the Appeal Court’s judgment pending the Supreme Court’s final decision.
On Friday, Justice Okong Abang ruled in favor of the application, stating that the applicant had demonstrated “special circumstances” warranting the injunction.
He emphasized that the applicant’s appeal before the Supreme Court was valid and deserved protection until a final verdict is reached.
The court granted an injunction restraining the Kano State House of Assembly, the Kano State Government, and others from enforcing the Appeal Court’s judgment delivered on January 10, 2025.
It also ordered all parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum (the condition before the legal conflict arose) and directed the applicant to file an undertaking within 48 hours to indemnify the respondents in case the order was wrongly granted.
The Kano Emirate dispute stems from the dissolution of four newly created emirates by the Kano State House of Assembly on May 23, 2024. Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf subsequently dethroned Emir Aminu Ado-Bayero and reinstated Muhammadu Sanusi II as the 16th Emir of Kano.
The case now awaits a final resolution by the Supreme Court.
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