Elders from the North have disagreed with President Muhammadu Buhari on the raging feud between the Governor of Kano State, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje and the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi.
The elders said Buhari was complacent over the misunderstanding between the governor and the emir, while the president’s alleged remarks that his interference in such disagreement had a constitutional limitation, was not reliable.
The elders under the aegis of Northern Elders Forum (NEF) were in Kano, yesterday, in an attempt to resolve the dispute.
Speaking in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Hausa Service monitored in Kaduna, yesterday, spokesperson of NEF, Dr. Hakeem Baba Ahmed observed that there were several ways of resolving the dispute but for Mr. President to be aloof over the matter, was most unfortunate.
“We as elders from the North were the first to be in Kano so as to find ways of resolving the matter. While we were there, we suddenly heard that the president had set up his committee on the matter. We had gone far in this matter, but to our knowledge, the president’s committee had not started work”.
Asked whether they had tried to advise the president over the crisis, Ahmed said it was not possible because even the committee set up by the president was, allegedly snubbed by Buhari.
“He said he would not talk over the matter citing the Constitution “, the spokesman alleged.
However, the President’s aide, Malam Garba Shehu told the BBC Hausa Service in an interview that, “his boss knew and respect the constitutional limitations between his office and that of a governor, the reason why he did not interfere.”
But Ahmed insisted that there were many issues such as the raging Ganduje – Sanusi feud which Mr President could settle amicably without necessarily referring to the Constitution.