Protesters on Friday stormed the Presidential Villa and the National Assembly in Abuja, calling on President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the ongoing crisis over the Kano Emirate.
Marching peacefully, the protesters carried banners expressing concerns about the escalating situation in Kano. They urged President Tinubu to use his influence to resolve the crisis and ensure the restoration of peace and stability in the state.
The crisis began when Kano Governor Abba Yusuf dissolved the five Emirates Council and reinstated Muhammadu Sanusi II as the Emir of Kano after signing the Kano State Emirate Council (Repeal) Bill 2024 into law.
Under the banner of the Concerned Patriots of Nigeria, the protesters criticized Governor Yusuf for abusing his office by dissolving the traditional council.
Abdullahi Muhammed Saleh, the coordinator of the group, stated, “A lot had been going wrong in the state, but the Concerned Patriots of Nigeria had thought it best to allow Kano State to sort out its thorny issues. However, Thursday’s brash actions of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State, who sacked five emirs to reappoint Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi as the 14th Emir of Kano, has awoken us to the urgency of raising the alarm about the destructive excesses of the state governor.”
Saleh further accused Governor Yusuf of engaging in a series of actions detrimental to the state, including a demolition spree aimed at undermining his predecessor, which he said had impoverished the people. He also accused the governor of attempting to destroy political party structures in the state and interfering in the internal affairs of other parties, including the All Progressive Congress (APC), where he allegedly hired individuals to suspend the national chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, who is also his predecessor.