The Court of Appeal in Abuja slammed the brakes on bringing back Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II as Emir of Kano on Friday. A team of three judges, led by Justice Okon Abang, said no moves can happen until the Supreme Court settles the fight. This pauses a January 10 ruling that had flipped Sanusi’s 2020 ousting, keeping everyone guessing about who’s the real emir.
It all started when Justice Gabriel Kolawole said the Kano State High Court not the Federal one should handle this royal mess. But fresh pleas hit the appeal court, tagged CA/KN/27M/2025 and CA/KN/28M/2025, begging to hold off until the big bosses at the Supreme Court weigh in. Justice Abang agreed, saying they’ve got to keep things fair. Sanusi was emir for five years before, so the case needs to stay alive and steady.
The drama’s roots go back to June 20, 2024, when a Federal High Court in Kano, under Justice Abubakar Liman, threw out a new state law bringing Sanusi back as the 16th Emir. That court told everyone to chill with Emir Ado Bayero in charge. Now, the appeal folks say it’s a state matter, not federal, and moved the fight to Kano or FCT courts.