APC CHAIRMAN VISITS EMIR SANUSI IN KANO AMIDST POLITICAL BUZZ

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BY JENN NOMAMIUKOR

The head of the All Progressives Congress, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, visited the Emir of Kano, Khalifa Muhammadu Sanusi II, at the Rumfa Palace in Kano on Saturday.

The details of their conversation were not shared right away.

The meeting happened on August 22, 2026, during a time when political events are getting more intense as the 2027 general elections approach.

On Sunday, a person close to the Emir, Muhammad Dallatu, told the media that Yilwatda had a private meeting with Sanusi right after the Emir came back from Abuja.

Dallatu said, “The APC national chairman paid a courtesy visit to His Highness, the Emir of Kano, at the Rumfa Palace on Saturday.”

He added, “The Emir had just returned from Abuja when the meeting took place, and the two held a closed-door meeting at the palace.”

According to Dallatu, the meeting was private, and no detailed information had been made public regarding the issues discussed by the two men.

“The meeting was a closed-door engagement, so I cannot disclose the details of what was discussed between His Highness and the APC national chairman,” he said.

The visit came against the backdrop of the prolonged emirship tussle in Kano, which has continued to divide political and traditional interests in the state.

The dispute followed the 2019 decision of the administration of former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje to split the Kano Emirate into five emirates, with Sanusi removed as Emir of Kano and Aminu Ado Bayero installed as the 15th Emir.

The development caused a big political and traditional conflict, with people from both sides arguing about who should rule the Kano throne.

In 2024, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf canceled the law that created five emirates and brought back the Kano Emirate, giving the throne back to Sanusi, who became the 16th Emir of Kano.

This didn’t fully settle the disagreement, because Bayero still has support from some political and traditional groups, especially those linked to the Ganduje administration.

Meanwhile, a group connected to Ganduje continues to support Bayero, while Sanusi gets support from the current Kano State Government, which is led by Yusuf.

The competing positions have also generated legal and political disputes, with both sides maintaining their claims and supporters insisting on the legitimacy of their preferred emir.

Against this background, the visit by the APC national chairman to Sanusi’s palace is likely to attract attention, particularly given the party’s political influence at the federal level and its preparations for the 2027 elections.

Sanusi, a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, remains an influential traditional and public figure whose views on governance, economic development and social issues continue to attract national attention.

Yilwatda, who became APC national chairman in 2024, has meanwhile been involved in the party’s preparations for the 2027 elections, including efforts to consolidate its structures and mobilise stakeholders across the country.

Neither the Emirate nor the APC immediately disclosed the specific agenda or outcome of Saturday’s meeting as of the time of filing this report.