Cover Box
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Onyekachi Ubani, chairman of Nigeria Bar Association, Ikeja branch, speaks with Anayo Ezugwu, Realnews reporter on the appointment of Sanusi as Emir of Kano and why President Goodluck Jonathan and the new Emir should smoothen their relationship. Excerpts:
Realnews: Does the riot that followed the announcement of Sanusi as the Emir indicate that his choice was unpopular?
Ubani: The reaction was as a result of the congratulatory message or wrong information that was being sent earlier saying that the first son of the late Emir had been appointed as the new Emir. So, those who are reacting are the supporters of the first son. And you cannot rule out politics. You know that the PDP also sent out a congratulatory message to the first son and later said that it was an innocent mistake. Don’t be also surprised that the party might have also preferred a particular candidate and since their candidate was not appointed, they could have organised the protests to portray Sanusi as the unpopular choice. So, these are the likely scenarios. It may not necessarily be that he is the unpopular choice as portrayed and you cannot also forget that Sanusi is a controversial person. And he may not be in the good books of many northern elite. So, that protest might have come from that angle.
Realnews: What do you make of the congratulatory message the PDP sent to the first son of the late Emir?
Ubani: The congratulatory message PDP sent meant that they already had a particular candidate in mind. It doesn’t require any spiritual input for you to know that this is their candidate and the man they would have loved to be the Emir. But unfortunately, the state governor made his own choice who is not the candidate of the PDP. So, the PDP ordinarily would want the son of the late Emir to succeed his father.
Realnews: What do you think will happen to the court cases instituted against Sanusi?
Ubani: The court cases against him will still go on because he doesn’t have immunity. The position of an Emir is not in our constitution; it is only the president, state governors and their deputies that have immunity. So, there is no immunity for being an Emir. If there is any criminal charge against him, he still has to appear before the court to give evidence. There is nothing that said because he is an Emir; he should not appear in court. But even if there is immunity which is not being considered now, those cases started before he was appointed the Emir. So, it has nothing to do with his position unless he naturally decided to withdraw those cases he instituted himself. But for those instituted against him, he must appear in court unless the federal government decides to withdraw them.
Realnews: Now that Sanusi is the Emir, how do you think the president can relate with him?
Ubani: My problem with both of them is that if they decide to be petty in their relationship, it will not augur well for their interpersonal relationship and the health of the nation. This is where maturity is being expected of them. Now, he is crowned Emir and the respect must be given to him as the Emir and the Emir, in turn, must respect the president of the federal republic of Nigeria. But if they allow pettiness to play out in their new relationship because both of them are occupying key positions in our national life; if they decide to play childish pranks in their new relationship, it will tell on their persons and it will also speak volumes of who they are as persons. But if they decide to exhibit maturity, there is nothing wrong in the president relating with Sanusi now that he is in a new position and Sanusi relating with the president as the president of the country.
— Jun. 23, 2014 @ 01:00 GMT
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