Shekarau: I’m still Sardauna Kano

Former Governor of Kano state, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau on Wednesday in Kano, northwest Nigeria, cleared the air over a letter he wrote to the Emirate Council asking for “temporary withdrawal” from attending meetings at the Emirate Council.
Shekarau was in 2010 crowned crowned Sardaunan Kano by Emir Ado Bayero in an elaborate ceremony.
Controversy, however, sprang up on Tuesday over his membership of the Kano Emirate Council, as he ranked fourth in the Emirate hierarchy.
Tongues wagged within Kano as Wamban Kano and Senior Councilor in the Emirate, Alhaji Abbas Sanusi told newsmen on Tuesday that the former governor approached the Emirate with a request to resign his membership from the council, which the emirate accepted.
Wambai said the council  acting on Sheklarau’s letter dated 8th Nov. 2012 has accepted his request to be relieved of the council’s position due to his political engagement. He said in response to a question that the council may consider his readmission whenever he forwards a written request in the future as he did in this regard.
Also commenting on the issue, Special Adviser to the governor on Emirate Affairs, Alhaji Tijjani Mailafiya Sanka said the emirate council has written to his office that Malam Ibrahim Shekarau has approved the resignation of Malam Ibrahim Shekarau as member of the emirate council as he requested.
He said a letter was sent to him on the matter that Malam Shekarau is no longer a member of the emirate council and should take note of the development and treat appropriately.
However, in a press briefing on Tuesday , Shekarau insisted that, “I still remain as Sardaunan Kano, adding that he only asked for  a temporary withdrawal to enable him attend to political assignment. In his words, “today, Wednesday, 21 November, 2012, we woke up with the rumour that I have resigned from my position as SARDAUNAN KANO and member of the Kano Emirate Council. This rumour is said to be as a result of many media reports to this effect. Consequently, so many people from within and outside Nigeria have been so disturbed and are asking questions as to the truth or otherwise of the report.
To help douse the tension created by the rumour based on wrong information, I therefore feel duty bound to give this press briefing. “It is now common knowledge that sometime last month my party, ANPP, assigned to me the onerous task of leading a Committee formed and charged with the responsibility of contacting and discussing with opposition parties with a view to merging and forming a common front to provide Nigerians with a alternative platform that will lead our dear nation to the promised land. No doubt this is a task that will involve a lot of travels and holding of meetings nation-wide. “I therefore felt that I will definitely not have enough time to enable me attend and participate fully in the Emirate Council meetings. Consequently, I wrote a letter to His Highness, the Emir of Kano requesting for permission to withdraw (TEMPORARILY)  from attending the Emirate Council meetings, to enable me concentrate on the new national assignment given to me by my party. And His Highness has already replied back accepting my request. This has nothing to do with my position and functions as SARDAUNAN KANO.
“I wish therefore to make it very clear that I, IBRAHIM SHEKARAU, am still holding my position as SARDAUNAN KANO, and will continue to exercise all known traditional rites, roles and functions associated with such traditional titles.”