BY Taiwo George
Things just got tighter for President Goodluck Jonathan: former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi (SLS), is a potential candidate to be the next emir of Kano after the death of Alhaji Ado Bayero.
Kano is considered strategic in the 2015 presidential election ─ in which Jonathan is expected to run ─ because of its voting population.
Even 25% of Kano’s 5.1 million registered voters ─ second only to Lagos’ 6.2 million ─ could make a significant contribution to the overall score of a presidential candidate.
With Lagos not currently considered a good hunting ground for Jonathan, Kano ─ already an uphill task for the president, despite former governor Ibrahim Shekarau’s defection to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ─ could become more hostile with Sanusi as emir.
The state governor, Malam Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, is a sworn opponent of Jonathan and was one of the five governors who left the PDP ─ to which the president belongs ─ for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in November last year.
With the death of Bayero on Friday morning after 50 years on the throne, Sanusi is clearly a contender to replace him.
The other strong contender is Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Ado Bayero, the Ciroman Kano, who, as the first son of Bayero, is often addressed as the Crown Prince.
He was born on April 1, 1956 and is older than the former CBN governor by five years.
The late Bayero was believed to be sympathetic to Jonathan and not on good terms with Kwankwaso. His palace was attacked by a mob who accused him of “selling out” after Jonathan was declared the winner of the 2011 presidential election.
The power to appoint Bayero’s successor lies with Kwankwaso, based on the recommendation of the kingmakers.
Sanusi, the only CBN governor to engage a Nigerian president in an open confrontation, was suspended in February after writing a controversial letter to Jonathan to draw attention to billions of dollars that had not been accounted for by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
He is still in court to challenge his suspension although a new governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, has assumed office.
Sanusi has openly said he would like to be the emir of Kano “one day” and once told journalists that his decision to study Arabic and Islamic studies at a Sudanese university was part of his preparations for the throne.
His grandfather, Muhammadu Sanusi, was emir of Kano from 1953-1963. He was the eldest brother of the emir who just died.
Sanusi was deposed in 1963 after falling out with his distant cousin, the Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello, who was the premier of the old northern region.
Sanusi’s replacement, Alhaji Muhammad Inuwa, lasted only three months before his death, and Bayero was enthroned.
The former CBN governor, who is close to Kwankwaso, is married to one of Bayero’s daughters.
Bayero conferred Sanusi with the traditional title of Dan Majen Kano in 2012.
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