KANO: Why I dethroned Lamido Sanusi– Ganduje

GOVERNOR Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State has disclosed what prompted the dethronement of Muhammad Lamido Sanusi as the Emir of Kano by his administration.

 Ganduje said he dethroned Sanusi because of the former Emir’s outburst against the administration of Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan during his reign as the governor of the Central Bank

Ganduje made this disclosure on Tuesday while speaking at the presentation of a book on former President Goodluck Johnathan, authored by a journalist, Bonaventure Philips Melah,

According to him, Sanusi was not the best man for the throne at the time he was appointed in June 2014, saying that the deposed Emir was appointed to spite former President Jonathan.

Jonathan had in April 2014, sacked Sanusi as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) over claims by the ex CBN Governor that $49 billion was stolen by some persons under the Jonathan administration.

Faulting Sanusi’s public outburst over the alleged fraud, Ganduje said the ex CBN Governor ought to have discussed the matter privately with the former President, who in turn could have ordered investigation into the allegation.

Ganduje, who believes Lamido’s action was insubordination, said Jonathan made a bold move by relieving Lamido of his job.

The Kano Governor said: “Jonathan took a bold step in sacking Sanusi as CBN Governor, which created bad blood in certain circles.

“When Sanusi said $49 billion was lost in Jonathan’s government, I said in my mind that No, you could have discussed with him (Jonathan) privately.

“You could have given him this clue and then he would know how to investigate even before those who had stolen the money would find a way of hiding the money.

“That statement, I said in my mind was not honourable. That statement created bad blood.”

In June 2014, barely two months after he was sacked as CBN Governor, Sanusi got appointed as the Emir of Kano, a position that Ganduje said he did not deserve in the first place.

Governor Ganduje however sacked Sanusi as Emir of Kano on March 9, 2020, a decision the Governor said he took to “save the system and to save the institution”.

Ganduje, who taunted the deposed Emir, said: “Sanusi was appointed Emir of Kano not because he was the best man for the throne but to retaliate what Jonathan did to him.

“That was 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 demonstration with people burning tyres here and there. But because of government’s 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,” he said

Sanusi was appointed during the administration of Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, in which Ganduje was deputy governor. He succeeded Kwankwaso in 2015.

Lamido, the deposed Emir, was a vociferous critic  of the Ganduje administration while his reign lasted.

Ganduje had balkanized the Kano Emirate under Lamido’s reign, a move believed to weaken his influence.

That was after the alleged corruption case against Lamido instituted by the state go.