The police on Thursday ended their four-day siege to the
palatial official residence of the traditional ruler of Kano Emirate.
The police had on Monday deployed armed officers and men in the palace
following a series of protests by some
youths who kicked against the
appointment of a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mallam Lamido
Sanusi, as the new Emir of Kano.
The PUNCH gathered on Thursday that following the end of the
siege, preparations were being put in
place to ensure that Sanusi, who had
been ruling Kano from the state Government House since Monday, relocated to the
palace.
Confirming the development, the Director of Press and Public Relations to
Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, Baba Dantiye, told one of our correspondents on the
telephone, that Sanusi would move into the place within the next few days.
“I just got the information that the police have left the
palace. Preparations will now start to ensure that the emir relocates to the
palace,” he said.
But Dantiye noted that since policemen had also been withdrawn from the Government House, Kano
youths had taken over the responsibility of guarding the place.
“Patriotic young men are guarding the Government House now
as a result of the withdrawal of policemen by the federal authorities,” Dantiye
wrote in a post on his Facebook page on Thursday.
Sanusi is expected to lead the 7th day Fidau prayers for the
late Emir, Ado Bayero, on Friday (today) by 12 noon.
It was gathered that the new traditional ruler will
subsequently lead Muslim faithful in Kano during the Friday Jumat prayers.
The new Emir on Thursday received the leader of Tijjaniyya
sect in Africa, Khalifa Sheikh Isiyaka Rabi’u,
at the Government House.
According to a message on Dantiye’s Facebook page, Rabi’u
offered prayers to God to grant the new emir protection and wisdom to rule over
his people.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party and the All
Progressives Congress lawmakers in the
House of Representatives disagreed on Thursday over the allegation by Kano
State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso that President Goodluck Jonathan was behind the
crisis that followed the appointment of Mallam Lamido Sanusi as the Emir of
Kano.
Kwankwaso, who also said Jonathan had no business in the
appointment of Sanusi as an emir, said it was worrisome that he
(President) was meddling in the affairs
of Kano State.
The governor had spoken during an interview with a cross-section of
journalists on Tuesday. Excerpt of the interview was posted on the Twitter
handle of Kwankwaso and the Facebook page of his Director of Press and Public
Realations, Baba Dantiye.
Kwankwaso had called on Nigerians and the international community
to hold Jonathan liable if anything ontoward happened to him, his family and
the people of his state.
“I have told my friends, and people of Kano, other Nigerians
and indeed the international community to hold Jonathan responsible for
whatever happens to Kwankwaso, his family or even the people of Kano State,” he
had stated on Wednesday.
But, while the PDP caucus in the House said the governor was
“playing politics” by making such an allegation, the APC caucus argued that the
governor’s allegation called for an investigation.
The leaders of the caucuses spoke exclusively in separate
telephone interviews with The PUNCH in Abuja.
The Deputy Majority Leader of the House, Mr. Leo Ogor, who
spoke on behalf of the PDP caucus, described Kwankwaso’s allegation as “wild
and without proof.”
Ogor noted that it was unfair of the governor to make such
an “unsubstantiated allegation” in an already heated political environment.
He added, “There is nothing the PDP-led Federal Government
has done to show that it is responsible for any crisis in Kano.
“He who alleges must prove. Let him bring his proof to the
public and substantiate the allegation.
“This attempt to play politics with every issue just to
score cheap political points is unnecessary.
According to him, were Kwankwaso to have facts, he should
have gone to the police and other security agencies to make a report.
“If he has facts, let him got to the police and other security
agencies to make his case. It is the responsibility of the security agencies to
take it up from there,” Ogor added.
However, the Minority Leader of the House and APC caucus
leader, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, disputed Ogor’s position that the APC governor
was merely playing politics.
Gbajabiamila argued that anybody raising such an allegation
as did Kwankwaso must have gathered substantial evidence.
Rather than dismissing the allegation as political, he
advised the PDP-led government to investigate it.
Gbajabiamila said, “Any allegation that insinuates death
threat must be taken seriously.
“It is even more serious when the allegation is against the
Presidency.
“We recall that former President Obasanjo once told the
nation that this administration had some persons marked for death.
“This allegation by the Kano governor is something similar
to what Obasanjo raised; so, it is not political at all.
“I am not saying that it is true (allegation), but it should
be taken very seriously.
“I want to give the Presidency the benefit of the doubt and
only hope that the allegation is not correct.
“I have not known Kwankwaso to make frivolous statements
before; it is a reason to take his allegation seriously.”
No comments:
Post a Comment