Governor Yusuf vows to report abuse of court orders to Nigeria Governors' Forum. Reacts to injunction restraining Sanusi's reinstatement and dethronement of five emirs in Kano State
The controversial saga surrounding the reinstatement of Muhammad Sanusi II as Emir of Kano took another dramatic turn on Friday, with the state's governor Abba Kabir Yusuf accusing a U.S-based judge of abusing the judicial process.
Speaking after officially restoring Sanusi to his centuries-old title, Yusuf lashed out at Justice Abdullahi Muhammad Liman of the Federal High Court in Kano. Liman had earlier granted an interim injunction blocking the return of the deposed emir and the dethroning of five other traditional rulers in the state.
"The person that issued the court order was in America but he is ordering us to stop what we are doing," an irate Yusuf declared. "This issue of abuse I must present before the Nigeria Governors' Forum so that we can tackle it accordingly."
Yusuf provided no evidence that Liman is currently in the United States. However, his inflammatory comments raise questions about whether the judge improperly intervened from abroad in the highly contentious local matter.
The order from Liman came after a lawsuit was filed by Aminu Babba Danagundi, who holds the traditional title of Sarkin Dawaki Babba in Kano. It temporarily restrains security forces from enforcing the Kano state government's actions regarding the emirate restructuring.
Sanusi's removal as emir in 2020 after clashing with the previous governor sparked widespread protests. While an appeals court ruled in February that his ousting was unlawful, the legal battles over reinstating the outspoken former central banker are far from over.
"We are agents of following due process," Yusuf insisted Friday, slamming what he called an "abuse" of court orders that could undermine the judicial system itself if not reined in.
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