Emir Sanusi misses Buhari’s funeral, sparks emirate power controversy

Emir Sanusi funeral absence explained as UK trip overlaps with Buhari burial. Emir Bayero attends, intensifying Kano Emirate leadership conflict

The Emir Sanusi funeral absence at the burial of former President Muhammadu Buhari in Daura has reignited tensions within the Kano Emirate’s disputed leadership.

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According to Muhammadu Dallatu, a close aide to Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II, the monarch missed the ceremony due to official duties abroad.

“The Emir will not attend. He’s not even in the country. He travelled to London for an official engagement and is expected back on Wednesday,” Dallatu told The Press.

Investigations revealed that Emir Sanusi participated in the 2025 Access Bank Polo Tournament in Surrey, England, on Saturday.

He appeared alongside prominent figures, including England’s national football manager, Thomas Tuchel.

While Sanusi was away, the 15th Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, attended the state funeral in Daura. Bayero’s spokesperson, Abubakar Naisa, confirmed the trip:

“Yes, His Highness Aminu Ado Bayero left Kano this morning for Daura to pay his last respects. He is attending the burial alongside the Emirs of Kazaure and Dutse.”

The event has further fuelled debate over who holds legitimate authority over the Kano Emirate.

Sanusi was deposed in March 2020 under former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, who split the emirate into five regions and installed Bayero as one of the new emirs.

In May 2024, Governor Abba Yusuf reversed the 2019 Emirate Council Law, dissolved the additional emirates, and reinstated Sanusi as the only Emir of a reunified Kano Emirate.

Despite this, Bayero remains in the main palace and continues to press his case through the courts.

The visible absence of Sanusi from a state occasion while Bayero represented the Kano Emirate has raised eyebrows among observers.

The symbolic clash between presence and absence underscores the ongoing constitutional and cultural crisis facing the ancient emirate.

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As both sides await judicial clarity, the Emir Sanusi funeral absence has become another flashpoint in a saga that continues to divide Kano’s traditional leadership.