by Demola Rewaju

The presence of several APC chieftains in Kano before the announcement of Gov Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has cast a political shadow on Sanusi’s throne and it may be one he will always have to live with especially as some insist that the son of the late Emir Ado Bayero – Sunusi Ado Bayero, is the more popular candidate who is closer to them at home.

This wasn’t the article I wanted to write today but a gang-up of some DRD readers on facebook led by Abiola ‘Zicolo’ Isaac led to this. They wanted my opinion on the new Emir and although nobody pays a penny to inspire my pen, sometimes I like to oblige. ..

The person of the former CBN Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi is one that I admire quite much – highly cerebral and brilliant, he is one man you can never call ‘indecisive’. With only one term as CBN governor, the man firmly stamped his name in the history books of our time by reforming the banking sector albeit in a controversial manner.

Only few men can manage to come across with such urbane mien yet declare boldly that the only worthy aspiration for him in life is to become a vassal king…with less powers than his fathers before him and even less powers than the man who signs the naira notes we spend.

At a time when the same folks who are singing his praise now were vilifying and criticisng him for supporting the removal of fuel subsidy – I wrote this piece to support the move in principle, if not in act. When again the online warriors started stories of a perceived adulterous affairs, I wrote this piece about the matter.

To hear some speak, you would think SLS had emerged as a leader of the opposition than one of the many respected Emirs across the north. This is largely a creation of the sensational media, the opposition APC and the overactive imaginations of some Nigerians who like to see everything as one long continuous movie.

The perceived dilemma is how President Goodluck Jonathan will approach Emir Sanusi Lamido Sanusi seeing that he had disgraced him from office and the obvious answer to me would be quite simple: he would approach him as a President approaches a king and that is with mutual respect, none kowtowing or genuflecting to the other – just a handshake and the usual political kind words spoken to each other. Will SLS emergence affect the chances of GEJ in Kano?

GEJ has nothing to lose in Kano. In 2011, he came a distant third in the presidential election results in Kano, behind General Muhammadu Buhari and Alhaji Ibrahim Shekarau. If anything, the polarization so far in Kano is working in GEJ’s favour – the man who beat him to the second position (Shekarau) is soon to be a minister under him.

So I wouldn’t fret over Kano state if I were GEJ (just like I said in this piece that I wouldn’t have suspended SLS if I were GEJ) – Kano is the most populous state in Nigeria but if you win either Kano or Lagos, you are still good to win the election: you do not need to win the two states.

Sanusi Lamido Sanusi is the Emir of Kano but it is not without a lot of controversy which by now, SLS is quite used to. The presence of several APC chieftains in Kano before the announcement of Gov Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has cast a political shadow on Sanusi’s throne and it may be one he will always have to live with especially as some insist that the son of the late Emir Ado Bayero – Sunusi Ado Bayero, is the more popular candidate who is closer to them at home.

This brings us to this issue of the will of God that many are so quick to declare even while they are crazily and frantically manipulating events behind the scene. To be fair, several Emirs in the north used this same line to win some votes for Dr. Goodluck Jonathan in 2011, explaining that since God had taken their son – Umar Musa Yar’Adua away and put Goodluck jonathan there, they should work to support him. Actually, that’s the argument that Namadi Sambo sold to them and it worked but not a few Emirs ended up with burnt palaces for which they were well compensated by the Federal Government.

In January last year, a bloody attack by gunmen would have left HRH Ado Bayero and two of his sons – the Turakin Kano and the Ciroman Kano – dead, but for the gallantry of his bodyguards three of whom lost their lives with his driver. Would that have been the will of God?

The Ciroman Kano would have emerged the king yesterday from many reports – even AIT was already broadcasting the news before Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso indicated he hadn’t yet made any name official. I wish the death of the late Emir could be probed but he’s buried already – it is just the will of God.

As it is for me to write this piece today – all now hail the Activist-King of Kano – HRH Emir Sanusi Lamido Sanusi…he would however have to be faithful to all the people God used to carry out His own will.

 

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Demola Rewaju blogs from www.demolarewajudaily.com

 

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.