Katsina Emir speaks out against politicians as Shehu Sani recalls past events

Former Kaduna senator Shehu Sani has backed the Emir of Katsina’s right to criticize political leaders over insecurity. He brought up a 2022 incident where the Katsina Emirate Council questioned a senior traditional titleholder for raising similar security issues.

Mr Sani reacted after the Emir, Abdulmumini Usman, made comments during a visit from a political group led by Senator Abdulaziz Yari, who is the Director-General of President Bola Tinubu’s campaign team.

The group included Katsina Governor Dikko Radda and other notable politicians. They visited the emir as part of their consultations ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

In a video shared by former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai, the emir spoke directly to Mr Yari while criticizing political dishonesty, divisions among northern leaders, and the neglect of issues affecting communities.

“Director General, you are on board now. Not just here in Katsina, the whole country,” the emir said, according to a translation of his Hausa words.

He urged politicians to convince people rather than insult them. “Politics is not madness,” he said. “Convince me, into conviction. That is politics.”

The monarch pointed out the dishonesty of political leaders, warning that they would be held accountable for their actions. He called for unity, reminding everyone of the Quranic teaching against division, and used a Hausa saying about a cracked wall to show what disunity can lead to.

Looking at northern Nigeria, the emir asked why regional forums exist when insecurity is stopping people from farming. “We have been stopped from farming,” he said.

He mentioned the decline of industries in Kaduna, like DIC and Peugeot, and wondered why northern leaders are quiet. “Where are our elders? We have to talk. We have to talk. We must stand up,” he said.

The emir also said that helping people should come before personal wealth and status. Trust Radio reported that the emir urged politicians to avoid witch-hunting and personal attacks.

In a statement from Governor Radda’s spokesperson, Ibrahim Kaula Mohammed, the governor showed support for Mr Tinubu’s re-election. Meanwhile, Mr Yari said the group came to seek the emir’s and the people of Katsina’s backing.

Shehu Sani recalls former Waziri’s experience

On Thursday, Mr Sani took to Facebook to defend the emir’s right to talk about insecurity. He also remembered how a professor, Sani Lugga, resigned as Waziri of Katsina in February 2022.

“The Emir of Katsina has the constitutional right to speak the truth about insecurity in his domain. Leaders should be held accountable for the safety and security of the citizens they govern,” he wrote.

Mr Sani noted that Mr Lugga was questioned by the Katsina Emirate Council after he spoke about killings, kidnappings, and banditry during a peace event in Kwara State.

He said the query reportedly criticized the former Waziri for discussing sensitive matters without permission. Mr Sani pointed out that Mr Lugga resigned on 23 February 2022, while former President Muhammadu Buhari was still in office.

“Intolerance to freedom of speech also has a history,” he wrote. “I will humbly accept any correction if the above scenario never happened,” he added.

How the 2022 dispute unfolded

The issue started when Mr Lugga attended a management retreat organized by the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution in Ilorin on 14 and 15 February 2022. During this event, he addressed insecurity in Katsina and criticized some parts of the Buhari administration’s approach to terrorism.

The Guardian reported that Mr Lugga questioned the government’s security plan and suggested the use of military contractors. In his account of the dispute, Mr Lugga said he got a call on 16 February asking him to explain his public statements.

He said the emirate council later sent him a written query on 21 February, asking for explanations about remarks regarding insecurity in eight local government areas, school closures, and the movement of district heads. Mr Lugga insisted that he attended the retreat as an academic, not as a part of the emirate council.

He also challenged how the query was issued, claiming it was not signed by the right council official and did not follow the correct rules.

Emir’s role in the dispute

Mr Lugga’s account raised questions about the emir’s role in the matter. He claimed that the emir told the Etsu Nupe, Yahaya Abubakar, who was trying to help resolve the issue, that President Buhari had complained about his public comments on insecurity.

According to Mr Lugga, members of the Katsina Emirate Council were told that the complaint came from then Governor Aminu Masari. No one has confirmed these claims, and public records do not show if either political leader made a complaint to the emir.

Mr Lugga also said that the controversy showed a wider disagreement between him and the emir about how the emirate was run. Several leading traditional rulers reportedly tried to help, including the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Abubakar; the Etsu Nupe; the Emir of Argungu, Samaila Mera; and the then Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero.

The PUNCH reported that Mr Bayero visited Katsina and had a two-hour meeting with the emir as part of the efforts to resolve the matter. Yet, Mr Lugga resigned on 23 February 2022.

The emir accepted his resignation, as confirmed by a letter from the Secretary of the Katsina Emirate Council, Mamma Ifo. The resignation became effective on 28 February 2022. While records show the emir was involved in discussions about the issue and accepted the resignation, they do not clearly show that he ordered the query against the former Waziri.

Emir also criticised insecurity under Buhari

The emir had publicly criticized insecurity during Buhari’s time in office. He highlighted how attacks stopped farmers from getting to their farms. On 6 May 2019, while meeting then Agriculture Minister Audu Ogbeh and Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele at his palace, the emir urged the federal government to focus on security instead of agricultural programs.

THISDAY reported that the emir spoke about killings, kidnappings, and the abandonment of farms in rural areas. He argued that agricultural support would not matter without proper protection for farmers.

The emir also claimed that some politicians were part of the violence, though this was never proven. His earlier criticisms were noted again in a June 2020 report by journalist Olusegun Adeniyi, after a visit to the palace where the monarch discussed killings and the limited ability of traditional institutions to tackle insecurity.

The emir’s past statements show he had spoken out about security failures before the current administration. But his reasons for speaking out and Mr Lugga’s academic presentation were not the same, and there is no proof that the Emir personally authorized the query issued to the former Waziri.