Former Kaduna senator Shehu Sani defended the Emir of Katsina’s public comments on insecurity, invoking a 2022 dispute that ended with a traditional titleholder’s resignation.
Premium Times reported that Sani posted on Facebook on Thursday, Oct. 22: “The Emir of Katsina has the constitutional right to speak the truth about insecurity in his domain.”
Sani’s comments followed a palace visit by a political delegation. A statement attributed to Ibrahim Kaula Mohammed, chief press secretary to Katsina Gov. Dikko Umaru Radda, said Radda accompanied Sen. Abdul’aziz Abubakar Yari and the delegation. It said Yari sought support from the Emir and Katsina residents for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election. KADA Times republished the statement.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has also named politicians from other parties as state campaign coordinators, a subject covered in an earlier EconoTimes report on the campaign appointments.
Reports by Premium Times and Chronicles Reporters on a Hausa-language video said Emir Abdulmumini Kabir Usman spoke about political conduct, insecurity and farming. In their English rendering, he said, “Politics is not madness.”
The earlier dispute involved Professor Sani Abubakar Lugga, then Waziri of Katsina. In his published account, Lugga said he presented a paper as an academic at an Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution retreat in Ilorin on Feb. 14-15, 2022. He said he received a phone call about his comments on Feb. 16 and a written query dated Feb. 21. Lugga said the notice addressed his remarks on security in eight local government areas, school closures and district heads departing their communities.
Lugga disputed the query’s procedure and said he resigned on Feb. 23. The PUNCH reported that the Emir accepted his resignation, effective Feb. 28, citing a letter signed by the Emirate Council secretary. Lugga also described differing accounts of who objected to his remarks; Premium Times reported that those accounts were not independently corroborated.
