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Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused the Federal Government of Nigeria of interference in the ongoing Kano Emirates controversy.

He revealed that the deposed Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, couldn’t have returned to the ancient city without the Federal Government’s backing.

In a Saturday post on X, Atiku, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), warned that any attempt to destabilise the peace of Kano State would be resisted.

“The action of the Federal Government in deploying soldiers in Kano in the tussle over the throne of the ancient city is an upset to the peace and security of the state and also in breach of the 1999 Constitution as Amended,” he said.

“In performing their constitutional duties of law-making, the Kano State House of Assembly (KSHA) passed the amended Kano State Emirate Council (Repeal) Bill 2024 in consonance with the provision of Section 4 of the Constitution 1999 as Amended, whereas the Governor of Kano State, Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf subsequently signed the bill into law. The law, therefore, repealed the 2019 version, which balkanised the ancient Kano Emirate into five.

“The foregoing circumstances happened within the confines of the law and in compliance with the powers conferred on the Governor as provided by Section 5(2) of the 1999 Constitution as amended; and also in consultation with the Kingmakers of Kano, reappointed Sanusi Lamido Sanusi (also known as Muhammadu Sanusi II) as the 16th Emir of Kano State and accordingly handed him a letter of appointment.

“It is surprising that in the early hours of today, at or about 5:30 am, the former Emir of Kano, His Majesty Aminu Ado Bayero, backed by Federal might, made their way into the Nasarawa Palace of the Kano Emirate while the reappointed Emir, Muhammadu Sanusi II was at the Gidan Dabo, which is the main residence of the Emir of Kano.

“We need to remind the Tinubu administration that Kano State is known for peace and harmony spanning thousands of years, and any attempt to destabilise the peace of the Land of Commerce shall be resisted. Recall that when Muhammadu Sanusi II was dethroned on 9th March 2020, Kano forged on in peace without any fracas.”

Recall that the Emir Sanusi was deposed by the then Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje in 2020 and banished from the state.

Before the dethronement, Ganduje had split Kano emirate into five – Kano, Bichi, Rano, Gaya and Karaye.

The new emirates were all equal with first class Emirs, diminishing the position of the Kano emirate.

But the bill signed into law by the former Governor, which he relied on to remove Sanusi was, however, repealed by the Kano State House of Assembly on Thursday, leading to the reinstatement of the former Emir, Sanusi II.