Court of Appeal in Kano has overturned a previous order issued on June 20 by Justice Abubakar Liman of the Federal High Court, Kano.
Gatekeepers News reports that in a judgment on Friday, a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal, Kano, which sat in Abuja, held that the order nullifying the steps taken by the Kano State Government under the 2024 Emirates Council Law was made by Justice Liman without jurisdiction.
The appellate court found that the fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by an aggrieved king maker – Alhaji Aminu Babba Dan Agundi – on which basis Justice Liman issued the June 20 order, was not only invalid, but the Federal High Court lacked the jurisdiction to hear it.
The judgment was on an appeal by the Kano State House of Assembly and its Speaker marked: CA/KN/140/2024 against Agundi and others.
The Kano State House of Assembly enacted the Kano State Emirate Council (Repeal) Law 2024 on May 23 last year, which the state governor assented to on the same date.
Under the new law, the Kano State Government among others, sacked Aminu Ado Bayero as Kano Emir, reinstated Mohammed Sanusi as Emir, and reversed the creation of five new Emirates by the preceding administration of Umar Ganduje.
In his June 20 ruling, Justice Liman voided all the steps taken by the Kano State Government under the 2024 Emirate Council Law because they were taken in violation of his earlier order made on May 23, 2024, directing parties, in Agundi’s fundamental rights suit, to maintain status quo.
