APC Chairman Meets Emir Sanusi Behind Closed Doors In Kano

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, has held a closed-door meeting with the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, at the monarch’s palace in Kano.

Yilwatda visited Sanusi at the Rumfa Palace on Saturday, shortly after the Emir returned to the state from Abuja.

The meeting was described as a courtesy visit, but details of the discussions were not made public.

A close associate of the Emir, Muhammad Dallatu, confirmed the meeting on Sunday, saying the APC chairman arrived at the palace after Sanusi returned from Abuja.

He said the two men subsequently met privately, adding that he could not disclose the issues discussed because of the closed-door nature of the engagement.

Neither the APC nor the Kano Emirate issued a statement on the meeting or indicated whether any political or other decisions were reached.

The visit comes amid heightened political activity in Kano, a key state in northern Nigeria with a large electorate and significant influence on national electoral calculations.

The APC has also strengthened its position in the state following the defection of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and members of the Kwankwasiyya political camp to the ruling party.

Yilwatda had previously visited Yusuf in Kano in February, where he reaffirmed the party’s proposed 60/40 leadership-sharing arrangement between the governor’s political camp and existing APC members in the state.

Sanusi, a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, remains one of Nigeria’s most prominent traditional and public figures, with influence extending beyond the Kano Emirate.

His return to the Kano throne followed the repeal of the law establishing additional emirates in the state in 2024.

The law had been introduced during the administration of former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, which removed Sanusi as Emir in 2020 and installed Aminu Ado Bayero.

The development triggered a prolonged dispute over the Kano Emirate, which continued after the Kano State House of Assembly repealed the emirate law and Governor Yusuf reinstated Sanusi in May 2024.

Bayero and his supporters subsequently challenged the reinstatement in court, resulting in several legal proceedings over the leadership of the emirate.

However, the latest meeting between Yilwatda and Sanusi was not publicly linked to the emirate dispute or any specific political development.

The purpose and outcome of the private discussion remain undisclosed.