Former Kano State governor Rabiu Kwankwaso has accused Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari of ordering the dethronement of Muhammadu Sanusi II as the emir of Kano.

Sanusi was removed from the throne on Monday by Kano State Government.

The state accused Sanusi of the “Emir is in total disrespect to lawful instructions from the office of the governor and other lawful authorities” and said his removal was effected to “sanctity, culture, tradition, religion and prestige.”

But Kwankwaso, who installed Sanusi as the emir in 2014, said the former emir was removed to please Buhari.

“President Buhari is interfering in the affairs of Kano State,” Kwankwaso told BBC Hausa on Wednesday.

The former Kano governor said state officials told him the president ordered the Sanusi’s dethronement.

Aminu Ado Bayero has since been named as the new emir.

Sanusi is a fierce critic of the Nigerian Government, Kano State leadership and the northern establishment.

There were unconfirmed reports that he supported the opposition against Kano State Umaru Ganduje when he sought reelection in 2019.

After winning the reelection, Ganduje, who was the deputy governor to Kwankwaso, ordered the balkanisation of the Kano Emirate into four smaller units – The government said the vision was necessary to better administer the emirate.

After his dethronement, Sanusi was banished to a neighboring Nasarawa State.

Managing director of Kano Road Traffic Agency (KAROTA), Bappa Dan’agundi, said he was banished in line with tradition and for peace to reign in Kano.

Dan’agundi is Kano state government representative that accompanied the police to evict Sanusi from the emir’s palace on Monday.

“As you know in our culture, whenever an emir was deposed, he is banished to another town. I look at it as a tradition or security reason. He is staying with his chief of staff, Munir Sanusi (Dan Buran of Kano) and a domestic staff, while his family moved to Lagos while we were leaving Kano (Airport on Monday). We are just leaving the town (loko),” Dan’agundi said.

However, Sanusi’s legal team has threatened a lawsuit following the banishment. The team lead AB Mahmoud on Tuesday (SAN) described the arrest and banishment of Sanusi as unlawful and threatened to sue the Kano State government if his client is not released within 24 hours.

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