Obasanjo to Sanusi: Your Dethronement As Emir Is Good And Bad

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has described the dethronement of Emir Sanusi of Kano State as ‘good and bad.

Recall that Governor Ganduje of Kano state dethroned the Emir of Kano, Mallam Muhammadu Sanusi II over offences described as disrespect to the office of the governor and other government agencies.

Reacting to the incident, Obasanjo in a statement he personally signed on Monday, said Sanusi’s dethronement is sad because it was undeserved.

“It is sad because it was undeserved. It is good because you have paid the price. My prayer is that God should give you the fortitude and the courage to continue on the path that you have chosen for yourself in the best interest of our country and humanity. Please accept, Your Royal Highness, the assurances of my highest consideration.”

Earlier, The Herald reported that Obasanjo said that Nigeria urgently needs a new constitution to address many of the challenges facing the country.

He said that the new constitution would not only meet the agitation and aspiration of all Nigerians but also allay the fears of many minority groups.

The ex-president stated this at the 1st Dr. Frederick Fasehun Memorial Lecture in Lagos on Saturday. Recall that Fasehun, who founded the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), died on December 1, 2018, aged 83.

Obasanjo said that while the National Assembly appears aware of the imminent danger facing the nation and may want to genuinely address it, it can do little about it.

According to him, the lawmakers might feel handicapped as the 1999 constitution only empowers them to amend it and not produce a new one for the country.

“The Nigerian Constitution does not give the National Assembly the power to write a new Constitution but the power to amend (an) existing one,” he stated.

Obasanjo added that “what is required is a new Constitution to meet the agitation and aspiration of all Nigerians and to allay all fears.”

Lamenting the present security challenges confronting the nation, Obasanjo said restructuring was urgently needed not to further worsen it.

“When I was elected President the agitation was true federalism but now it is restructuring. If we don’t address it they may go from restructuring to self-determination and this will be a serious problem.

“If Boko Haram can get external support, any group that decided to go will get support from within and outside. So we must address the issue now,” he stated.