Emirship Tussle: Lawyers Withdraw as Court Adjourns Case

The legal battle over the Kano emirship took a new turn as lawyers representing Aminu Ado-Bayero, the 15th Emir of Kano, withdrew their services and the court adjourned the case to July 18.

Abdul Muhammed, counsel to Ado-Bayero, told the court, “My Lord, myself and other counsels representing the first respondent apply for the withdrawal of our legal services and appearances.”

This development comes after the Kano State House of Assembly repealed the Kano State Emirates Council Law 2024, which led to the dethronement of the five emirs, including Ado-Bayero.

The court had earlier issued a temporary injunction restraining the respondents from parading themselves as emirs. The applicants, including the Attorney General of Kano State and the Speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly, had filed a motion ex parte seeking to stop the respondents from posing as emirs.

Justice Amina Adamu-Aliyu had denied the respondent’s request for a stay of proceedings, stating, “The respondent did not disclose any special fact to warrant any stay of proceedings.”

The court adjourned the matter to July 18 to hear various applications, including a joinder application, an extension of time, a notice of preliminary objection, and a motion to set aside the ex parte ruling.

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Eyitayo Fatogun, counsel to the applicant, urged the court to disregard the respondent’s statement of facts, saying, “The motion refers to a proposed notice of appeal, not a notice of appeal. It shows that the affidavit of facts is just to delay the proceedings.”

Hassan Tanko-Kyaure, counsel to the third, fourth, and fifth respondents, had filed a counter-affidavit and an application for an extension of time, seeking to set aside the Kano State Emirates Council (Repeal) Law 2024.

The dispute over the Kano emirship began when the Kano State House of Assembly passed a law creating four new emirate councils, dethroning the five emirs. Governor Abba Kabir-Yusuf recently reappointed Lamido Sanusi as the Emir of Kano, a move that has sparked controversy.