The return of Muhammadu Sunusi ll as Sarkin Kano is yet another
manifestation of the influence of politics on the traditional Masarauta
establishment, which, after all, has always been used and abused by
politicians.
Since the British conquest of the
Usman Dan Fodio Islamic sultanate in what subsequently became part of today’s
northern Nigeria, the enthronement and dethronement of emirs (Sarakuna)
have always been motivated by underlying political interests.
Throughout the colonial era, the
British would only enthrone aspiring princes deemed the most loyal to the
British colonial establishment as leaders of their respective emirates. This
practice enabled them to maintain their colonial grip through those proxy-Sarakuna.
And since then, successive generations of military and civilian administrators
have followed suit, enthroning and dethroning Sarakuna literally at will.
The only shift in this regard is
that, in the past, the influence of political leaders would mostly come to play
only when a throne became vacant mainly due to the death of the Sarki, when the
incumbent governor would influence the emergence of his successor, as it
happened in 2014 in Kano that led to the enthronement of Sunusi. However, now
that the trend is becoming systematic, it will indeed, if left unchecked,
render the reins of Sarauta effectively tenured, subject to the tenure of the
governor behind it.
After all, just like his
enthronement in 2014 by then-Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and his subsequent
dethronement in 2020 by then-Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Sarki Sunusi’s
return to the Kano throne remains politically motivated within the context of
the power struggle in Kano politics between Kwankwaso and Ganduje, two
provincial vindictive enemies hell-bent on finishing off each
other.
By the way, as a subservient
Kwankwaso ‘boy’, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf himself is a mere fighting tool in
the hands of his godfather in the struggle.
Interestingly, Kwankwaso has
tactically put his vengeful mission against Sunusi on hold for now, pending
finishing off Ganduje and his legacy.
Sunusi incurred then-Governor
Kwankwaso’s wrath as a then-Lagos-based bank executive when he kept dishing out
disparaging criticisms against Kwankwaso and his government. For instance, in
an article he titled “The Kwankwaso Phenomenon”, Sunusi described then Governor
Kwankwaso as a “rural aristocrat” who “surrounds himself with provincials and places
key posts in the hands of rural elite”. He also compared
Kwankwaso’s government to “the
classic comedy of the Village Headmaster in a village council”.
Kwankwaso got mad at Sunusi and
demanded his sacking by his then-employer, United Bank for Africa (UBA). He
threatened to stop his government’s dealings with the bank in case of
non-compliance.
Anyway, now that Sunusi is back,
it remains to be seen how it plays out between him and Governor Abba,
considering Sunusi’s penchant for publicity stunts involving controversial
utterances against government policies and wrongdoings.
As much as Sunusi is excited
about his return to the Kano throne, the development represents a tricky
dilemma for him that also tests his supposed commitment to outspokenness
against government wrongdoings.
On the one hand, Governor Abba
won’t tolerate his stunts in the name of outspokenness; no governor will,
either. And unless he (Sunusi) has, this time around, decided to desist from
his stunts to keep his throne, Governor Abba, under Kwankwaso’s influence,
won’t hesitate to go to any extent, including dethronement, to deal with
him.
On the other hand, his desistance
from his stunts would undoubtedly mean the end of the reputation he has somehow
earned as an outspoken critic of government wrongdoings.