Bayero drops Sheikh Nasir as Wazirin Kano

From Edwin Olofu, Kano

The Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero has finally dropped his nominee, Sheikh Nasir Muhammad Nasir for the position of Wazirin Kano.

The Kano Emirate Council, last night, announced the reversal of the nomination of Sheikh Nasir.

Earlier yesterday, Sheikh Nasir had insisted that he remains the right candidate for the position, despite the opposition of the Kano state government to his nomination.

The cleric also denied insinuations that his nomination had been reversed by the emirate council.

Peoples Daily reported exclusively yesterday that Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso of Kano state had objected to the choice of Sheikh Nasir to replace the late Isa Waziri who died in August last year, as the new Waziri of the commercial city.

The Kwankwaso led government had cited “security reasons”, the details of which were unclear, for its rejection of the nominee.

However, at a press conference addressed at about 10pm last night by the Wamban Kano, Alhaji Abbas Sanusi, the emirate council said given the objection of the Kano state government to the choice o Sheikh Nasir, it has rescinded its earlier nomination of the candidate.

The disclosure was made after a meeting of the council, which was attended by the representative of the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Hassan Danbaba, who is the Magajin Garin Sokoto.

Sheikh Nasir, while addressing newsmen in his residence in Kano yesterday, said his appointment by the emirate council was an act of God which nobody can change.

The Sheikh said: “What the Emir of Kano did was a fulfilment of what Allah has destined to happen, nobody can remove me. Allah is sufficient for me; the issue of reversal doesn’t even arise.

“Some people who are clearly in the minority are trying to reverse what Allah has destined to happen.

“Even during the life time of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), people tried to work against Allah but they always failed. I’m not bothered by what people are saying; I’m calling on my supporters to remain calm. I’m going to discharge my duties as enshrined in the tradition”, he stated.

Earlier yesterday, the state deputy governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, who doubles as Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, had in an interview on the Hausa service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), monitored from Kano, directed the emirate council to reverse its decision, failing which the government may take some unsavoury actions against it.

Part of the action the government earlier threatened to take against the emirate, if t fails to reverse the current decision on the Waziri, was to create two additional emirate councils for Gaya and Karaye respectively, or to dethrone the Alhaji Ado Bayero from his seat as Emir of Kano.

The deputy governor maintained that security reports were against the appointment of Sheikh Nasir, insisting that his nomination was not in the best interest of the people of the state.