The commercial city of Kano roared back to life after four years of royal sleeplessness. “By the power conferred on me as the governor of Kano state, I announce the reappointment of Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, popularly known as Muhammad Sanusi, as the new Emir of Kano,” Abba Yusuf, the Kano state governor, told newsmen on Thursday, May 23, 2024 after signing the Kano State Emirate Amendment Bill 2024 into law.
Installed by Rabiu Kwankwanso in 2014, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi was dethroned in 2020 after efforts to buy the Umar Ganduje’s administration to curtail what it described as ‘insubordination’ to the governor. He was quickly replaced by Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero as the 15th Emir of Kano. But following the Kano tradition that barred the deposed King from flying the royal umbrella, Aminu Ado Bayero, while returning from Ijebu Ode, where he paid a royal visit to the 90-year-old Oba Sikiru Adetona, GCON, the paramount ruler of Ijebuland and Awujale of Ijebu Ode asked his entourage to keep the royal umbrella in the kitty. And within 24 hours, the new Emir, Muhammad Sanusi, received his reappointment letter, accompanied by pomp and pageantry, while a legal firework challenging the reinstatement by the state government quickly ensued. However, apart from the Emir’s reappointment, the new law also abolished the four emirates of Bichi, Gaya, Karaye, and Rano, carved out of Kano by the Umar Ganduje’s administration, a move many believe was an attempt to whittle down SLS influence and soft power in the heat of the Ganduje and Kwankwanso’s political fiasco.
Of course, it is public knowledge that the removal of SLS was politically motivated and that a favorable political climate may change the course of his destiny in the future. Perhaps the reappointment of SLS after four years of removal marked a significant moment in the political power play, in addition to the impact of executive rascality on traditional institutions in the country. Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has much to learn from the Kano drama; otherwise, he would have some of his most important decisions rolled back in his lifetime for a lack of critical thinking, merit, and due process.
‘Makinde at Soun’s Coronation’
In 2017, the late Abiola Ajimobi told some protesting students of LAUTECH something that eventually defined his eight-year rule. Frustrated by the recalcitrance and the indifference of the students who demanded immediate action by the state government to end lingering industrial action in their school got under the governor’s nerves. The visibly and unsparingly late Ajimobi, vocal and enraged, declared, I am the constituted authority. That was an epochal moment in his administration’s life, according to many observers.
Governor Seyi Makinde has also experienced an epiphany of power intoxication. “For peace to reign, I urged all the dissatisfied princes who have instituted court cases against the new king to withdraw before the end of this week; otherwise, we, as the government, will use and deploy every weapon in our arsenal to fight those who want to fight the king,” Makinde told townsfolk and dignitaries at the coronation.
But his words quickly melted into empty threats as one of the aggrieved princes, Kabir Olaoye, fired back. Prince Olaoye declared, “It is an empty threat. The state governor’s strong stance against litigants opposing the new Soun of Ogbomosoland reflects the governor’s commitment to supporting his chosen leader despite all sense of purpose.”
‘The Alaafin Debacle’
Observers in Oyo politics believe the governor’s handling of royal affairs in the state has been subpar. They pointed at Ogbomoso’s scenario, where efforts by the new king to unite, reconcile, and engineer lasting peace in the family have all suffered numerous setbacks. Furthermore, they noted that the impasse that has greeted the selection of the new Alaafin, as well as the various unguarded public statements attributed to the governor on the stool, has revealed his lack of tact and diplomacy in handling such a critical and sensitive matter.
Recall that the governor had called out members of Oyo Mesi for collecting bribes from some aspiring princes while vowing to drag them to the EFCC for commodifying the throne. According to reports, the governor did indeed follow through on his words by dragging some of the kingmakers to the anti-graft agency. However, despite the public ridicule, the Kingmakers have maintained the selection of Prince Lukman Gbadegesin as the new Alaafin of Oyo, awaiting the governor’s approval since October 2022.
‘A delicate matter’
Governor Makinde has kept his cards close to his chest regarding the Alaafin debacle. He once told journalists that, as a thoroughbred Ibadan man, he would fight the kingmakers to the end. Many have faulted the governor’s claims, saying he has little say in the selection process of the new king. However, speculations and allegations have spread about the governor’s choice for the Alaafin of Oyo’s exalted throne.
Of all the first-class kings that joined their forebears under Makinde’s watch, only the selection of the new Alaafin has troubled him the most. And the reasons aren’t far-fetched. The governor experienced a smooth transition in Iseyin, as the appointment of Oba Sefiu Olawale as the new Aseyin appears to dampened the resolve of most princes. In Ogbomoso, the governor faced similar challenges before ultimately triumphed over resentful princes, albeit temporarily, as the selection of the new king remains under dispute. In Ibadan, the system, despite its initial hiatus, has thrown up the new king after the death of Oba Lekan Balogun. Observers believe that a smart governor would have realized that the choice of the next Alaafin would be full of ups and downs and that only by working with the kingmakers will the governor have his way.
‘The Governor at the Crossroads
Governor Seyi Makinde finds himself in a precarious situation. Unlike in Kano, where the new Emir is chosen at the behest of the governor, the Oyo royal tussle presents a different scenario. To get to the throne, tradition says one must get to the kingmakers first, and failure to follow that route will always end in disaster. While the governor explores his options in this delicate matter, observers believe his decision will have a far-reaching influence on his political future and, more importantly, his lasting legacies.
OYO101 is Muftau Gbadegesin’s opinion about issues affecting the Oyo state and is published every Saturday. He can be reached via @muftaugbade on X, muftaugbadegesin@gmail.com, and 09065176850.
