"Mr Sanusi was not the best man for the throne at the time he was appointed in June 2014, but was given the throne to spite former President Jonathan"
The Kano State
Government appointed Lamido Sanusi as the 14th Emir of Kano in 2014 to spite
the then President Goodluck Jonathan, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje has said.
The Kano governor
spoke Tuesday at the public presentation of a book written by a journalist,
Bonaventure Philips-Melahon, on the former president.
Mr Ganduje, who was
the deputy to the then Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso at the time, said the
government knew that Mr Sanusi did not deserve to be the Emir of Kano.
Mr Sanusi had, at the
time, been suspended as Governor of Central Bank by Mr Jonathan following his
allegation that $20 billion was missing from the records of the Nigerian
National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
The money, he had
said, was from crude oil exports by the national oil company between 2011 and
2012 that was not remitted to the Federation Account.
Mr Sanusi is a member
of the Dabo royal family and became the 14th Emir of Kano from the Fulani
Sullubawa clan following appointment on June 8, 2014, after the death of his
uncle, Ado Bayero.
He was, however,
dethroned on March 9 by Mr Ganduje for alleged insubordination and disrespect
for constituted authorities.
Speaking at the
Tuesday book presentation, Mr Ganduje said the former emir was crowned to spite
Mr Jonathan.
“Mr Sanusi was not the
best man for the throne at the time he was appointed in June 2014 but was given
the throne to spite former President Jonathan.
“He was appointed in
order to prove that what Jonathan did to him was wrong and that the people of
Kano wanted their son as Emir and therefore they decided to appoint him as
Emir.
“But when he was
appointed, there were a lot of demonstrations with people burning tyres here
and there. But because of government backing, he was sustained on the stool.
“When I became
governor, (that’s why you will laugh), I said yes, the Jonathan medicine is an
important medicine.
“That medicine, even
though I am not a medical doctor, but that medicine would serve the same
purpose, for the same disease and for the same patient.
“So I took my Jonathan
medicine and decided to save the system, to save the institution and I applied
it effectively. So Jonathan and I are on the same page. Actually, I have no
regrets” the governor said, apparently alluding to his controversial
dethronement of Mr Sanusi.
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