Renowned historian, Umar Ardo has called on the Sultan of Sokoto and Muslims in Kano State to prevail on Governor Abdullahi Ganduje to withdraw the creation of four new emirates saying the move would destroy the caliphate as created from the time of Shehu Uthman dan Fodio.
Ardo insisted that the Emir of Kano, Mohammad Sanusi II had done nothing wrong to be ‘victimized’ in that manner.
“The Sultan, all members of the caliphate, the Muslim ummah and the Fulbe people should not only condemn it but should stand up against it.
“The emirates have already been created from the time of Shehu Uthman dan Fodio. And, if you now start Balkanising them, you are just reducing the prestige and effectiveness of the emirate system. It is the caliphate establishment that is the loser.”
The scholar said Ganduje was exploiting divisions in the royal house between Muhammadu Sanusi II, the emir of Kano, and his cousins, to undermine the emirate and its heritage.
“Some of the members of the caliphate establishment are themselves instigators of the problem because they are not on good terms with their cousins who are on the throne.
“They are forgetting that they are destroying the system of which they hope to one day benefit from. They are in fact benefitting from it because you do not have to be an emir to benefit from the emirate establishment.”
Kano State government, had created four new emirates and installed new emirs, a decision which has caused an uproar in the state with some describing the move as a personal vendata against the Emir, Mohammad Sanusi II who allegedly supported the PDP in the last election.