A group of lawyers from Northern Nigeria has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf, requesting that the reinstatement of Emir Muhammad Sanusi II be reversed.
Identifying themselves as the Northern Lawyers’ Forum, the lawyers conducted a briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, calling Sanusi’s reinstatement “unconstitutional” and “against the traditions and customs of the Kano emirate.”
The forum’s Director General, Barr Umar Sadiq Abubakar, stated, “Sanusi’s initial removal was in line with the laws and traditions of the Emirate, and his reinstatement would create chaos and undermine the rule of law in the state.”
Accusing Governor Yusuf of disregarding a Federal High Court ruling restraining him from reinstating Sanusi, Abubakar criticized the Governor for purportedly obtaining an injunction from the Kano State High Court to vacate the existing order, which undermines the authority of the Federal High Court.
The group warned of taking “all necessary legal steps” to protect the judiciary and the interests of the people of Kano State if the Governor fails to reconsider his decision.
In their statement, they emphasized, “The judiciary is conservative, and we look up to the bar to speak for it. As an organization dedicated to an independent and free judiciary, we are perturbed by a sitting governor flagrantly disregarding a valid court order.”
“The principle of constitutionalism dictates that no man is above the law. The governor of Kano state, irrespective of his position, is not exempt,” the statement concluded.