Newly
crowned Emir of Kano and former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Sanusi
Lamido Sanusi
The
police on Thursday ended their four-day siege to the palatial official
residence of the traditional ruler of Kano Emirate.
The
police had on Monday deployed armed officers and men in the palace following a
series of protests by some youths who kicked against the appointment of a
former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mallam Lamido Sanusi, as the
new Emir of Kano.
The
PUNCH gathered
on Thursday that following the end of the siege, preparations were being put in
place to ensure that Sanusi, who had been ruling Kano from the state Government
House since Monday, relocated to the palace.
Confirming
the development, the Director of Press and Public Relations to Governor Rabiu
Kwankwaso, Baba Dantiye, told one of our correspondents on the telephone, that
Sanusi would move into the place within the next few days.
“I
just got the information that the police have left the palace. Preparations
will now start to ensure that the emir relocates to the palace,” he said.
But
Dantiye noted that since policemen had also been withdrawn from the Government
House, Kano youths had taken over the responsibility of guarding the place.
“Patriotic
young men are guarding the Government House now as a result of the withdrawal
of policemen by the federal authorities,” Dantiye wrote in a post on his Facebook page on
Thursday.
Sanusi
is expected to lead the 7th day Fidau prayers for the late Emir, Ado Bayero, on
Friday (today) by 12 noon.
It
was gathered that the new traditional ruler will subsequently lead Muslim
faithful in Kano during the Friday Jumat prayers.
The
new Emir on Thursday received the leader of Tijjaniyya sect in Africa, Khalifa
Sheikh Isiyaka Rabi’u, at the Government House.
According
to a message on Dantiye’s Facebook
page, Rabi’u offered prayers to God to grant the new emir protection and wisdom
to rule over his people.
Meanwhile,
the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress lawmakers in the
House of Representatives disagreed on Thursday over the allegation by Kano
State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso that President Goodluck Jonathan was behind the
crisis that followed the appointment of Mallam Lamido Sanusi as the Emir of
Kano.
Kwankwaso,
who also said Jonathan had no business in the appointment of Sanusi as an emir,
said it was worrisome that he (President) was meddling in the affairs of Kano
State.
The
governor had spoken during an interview with a cross-section of journalists on
Tuesday. Excerpt of the interview was posted on the Twitter handle of Kwankwaso and the Facebook page of his
Director of Press and Public Realations, Baba Dantiye.
Kwankwaso
had called on Nigerians and the international community to hold Jonathan liable
if anything ontoward happened to him, his family and the people of his state.
“I
have told my friends, and people of Kano, other Nigerians and indeed the
international community to hold Jonathan responsible for whatever happens to
Kwankwaso, his family or even the people of Kano State,” he had stated on
Wednesday.
But,
while the PDP caucus in the House said the governor was “playing politics” by
making such an allegation, the APC caucus argued that the governor’s allegation
called for an investigation.
The
leaders of the caucuses spoke exclusively in separate telephone interviews with
The PUNCH in
Abuja.
The
Deputy Majority Leader of the House, Mr. Leo Ogor, who spoke on behalf of the
PDP caucus, described Kwankwaso’s allegation as “wild and without proof.”
Ogor
noted that it was unfair of the governor to make such an “unsubstantiated
allegation” in an already heated political environment.
He
added, “There is nothing the PDP-led Federal Government has done to show that
it is responsible for any crisis in Kano.
“He
who alleges must prove. Let him bring his proof to the public and substantiate
the allegation.
“This
attempt to play politics with every issue just to score cheap political points
is unnecessary.
According
to him, were Kwankwaso to have facts, he should have gone to the police and
other security agencies to make a report.
“If
he has facts, let him got to the police and other security agencies to make his
case. It is the responsibility of the security agencies to take it up from
there,” Ogor added.
However,
the Minority Leader of the House and APC caucus leader, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila,
disputed Ogor’s position that the APC governor was merely playing politics.
Gbajabiamila
argued that anybody raising such an allegation as did Kwankwaso must have
gathered substantial evidence.
Rather
than dismissing the allegation as political, he advised the PDP-led government
to investigate it.
Gbajabiamila
said, “Any allegation that insinuates death threat must be taken seriously.
“It
is even more serious when the allegation is against the Presidency.
“We
recall that former President Obasanjo once told the nation that this
administration had some persons marked for death.
“This
allegation by the Kano governor is something similar to what Obasanjo raised;
so, it is not political at all.
“I
am not saying that it is true (allegation), but it should be taken very
seriously.
“I
want to give the Presidency the benefit of the doubt and only hope that the
allegation is not correct.
“I
have not known Kwankwaso to make frivolous statements before; it is a reason to
take his allegation seriously.”
No comments:
Post a Comment