Yilwatda meets Emir Sanusi as APC begins 2027 mobilisation

The National Chairman, All Progressives Congress, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda. Photo: APC

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, at the weekend paid a courtesy visit to the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, at the historic Rumfa Palace in Kano.

Yilwatda’s visit brought the national chairman of the ruling party and the traditional ruler together at the palace, although details of their discussions were not immediately made public.

The meeting took place amid heightened political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Confirming the development to The PUNCH on Sunday, a close associate of the Emir, Muhammad Dallatu, said Yilwatda held a closed-door meeting with Sanusi shortly after the monarch returned 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.

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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 triggered a major political and traditional dispute, with supporters of the two camps maintaining competing claims over the Kano throne.

However, the administration of Governor Abba Yusuf repealed the law establishing the five emirates in 2024 and reinstated the Kano Emirate under Sanusi, who returned to the throne as the 16th Emir of Kano.

The move did not completely end the dispute, as Bayero retained the backing of some political and traditional interests, particularly those associated with the Ganduje administration.

While a camp associated with Ganduje has continued to back Bayero, Sanusi enjoys the support of the current Kano State Government 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.

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.