8th September, 2020
By Abbas Bamalli/Kano
Now that Emir Muhammadu Sanusi is out of the way, Kano State House of Assembly has passed the Emirate Councils Amendment Bill 2020, that makes incumbent Emir of Kano the chairman and forbids rotation.
The bill was passed at the assembly’s plenary Tuesday, with Speaker Abdulazeez Gafasa presiding.
When the law was passed in 2019, to create four new emirates, it made the chairmanship rotational among all the emirs.
The amendment has now made new Emir Aminu Ado Bayero, the primus inter pares among the Emirs.
The Emirate Councils created last year were: Gaya; Karaye, Rano, Bichi and the existing Kano Emirate Council.
Majority Leader of the House, Kabiru Dashi explains the amendments:
“In the new law, the number of kingmakers have also increased from four to five members, to allow for free and fair election of a new emir whenever there is vacancy.
“We have four kingmakers in each of the Emirate Councils, in the case of death or removal, we are trying to avoid a situation where two will support and two will reject.
“By increasing the number to five; it must be free and fair while electing an emir. And also, the new law will provide a three day deadline for the election of a new emir,” he said.
Dashi added that the amended law had also changed the title of the Council of Chiefs, to be refer as the Council of Emirs.
The lawmakers after considering the amendment at the Committee of the Whole, adopted the amendment to the bill.
The House also approved the appointment of Dr Garba Shehu, as the Executive Secretary, Kano State Education Development Support Fund.
*Bamali writes for News Agency of Nigeria