BREAKING: Appeal Court Halts Sanusi Lamido’s Reinstatement as Emir of Kano

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has halted the enforcement of its ruling on the Kano Emirate dispute, preventing the reinstatement of Muhammadu Sanusi II until the Supreme Court decides.

All parties have been ordered to maintain the status quo.

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has suspended the enforcement of its judgment that struck out a Federal High Court ruling nullifying the Kano State Government’s steps regarding the reinstatement of former Central Bank Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, as the Emir of Kano.

VerseNews reports that the decision was delivered on Friday by a three-man panel led by Justice Okong Abang and will remain in place until the Supreme Court delivers its final verdict on the Kano Emirate tussle, following the passage of the Kano State Emirate Council (Repeal) Law 2024.

Sanusi’s reinstatement came after the Kano State House of Assembly passed the law, despite an ongoing legal dispute filed by Alhaji Aminu Babba-Dan’agundi, the Sarkin Dawaki Babba, who challenged the validity of the process. The case had first been heard at the Federal High Court in Kano, which in June 2024 nullified all steps taken to reappoint Sanusi as the 16th Emir of Kano.

The suit, brought against the Kano State House of Assembly, the Speaker, the Attorney General, and security agencies including the Department of State Services (DSS), challenged the legality of repealing the 2019 Emirate Council Law, which had divided the historic Kano Emirate into five under former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje.

Justice Abdullahi Muhammad-Liman of the trial court ruled that all actions taken under the Kano Emirate Council (Repeal) Law 2024 were “null and void,” stating, “I hereby order that every step or action taken by the respondents (Kano State House of Assembly and others) pursuant to the Kano Emirate Council (Repeal) Law 2024 is null and void and is set aside. However, this order does not affect the validity of the law.” The judge further instructed all parties to maintain the status quo.

Disagreeing with the ruling, the State House of Assembly and other respondents appealed the decision. In January 2025, the Court of Appeal set aside the lower court’s ruling and ordered a retrial, holding that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suit.

As both parties took their cases to the Supreme Court for final redress, Babba-Dan’agundi also sought an injunction from the Appeal Court to prevent the enforcement of its own ruling while the Supreme Court’s decision remained pending.

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Delivering his ruling on Friday, Justice Okong Abang stated that an injunction pending appeal at the Supreme Court could only be granted if the applicant demonstrated “special circumstances” justifying such an order. He noted that Babba-Dan’agundi had a valid and arguable appeal and a legal right that needed protection until the Supreme Court ruled on the matter.

“An injunction is hereby granted restraining the respondents (Kano State House of Assembly, Kano State Government, etc.), either by themselves, their agents, privies, servants, or personal representatives, from enforcing the judgment of this Court in Appeal No. CA/KN/126/2024 – KANO STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY & ANOR VS ALHAJI AMINU BABBA-DAN’AGUNDI & OTHERS delivered on 10/1/2025, pending the hearing and determination of the applicant’s appeal filed on 24/1/2025 before the Supreme Court of Nigeria.”

The judge further ordered all parties to “maintain the status quo ante bellum,” meaning the situation should revert to what it was before the legal conflict began. Additionally, he ruled that the applicant must file an undertaking within 48 hours to indemnify the respondents in damages if it is later determined that the order should not have been made.

The Kano Emirate Council system remains a deeply significant institution in the state’s socio-economic and political affairs. On May 23, 2024, the Kano State House of Assembly dissolved the four newly created emirate councils in the state.

On the same day, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf dethroned the 15th Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado-Bayero, and reinstated Muhammadu Sanusi II, sparking a fresh legal battle over the legitimacy of the action.

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