Legal battle erupts over Kano dep gov screening process

A Kano State High Court has been asked to restrain the Kano State House of Assembly from proceeding with the screening of Hon. Murtala Sule Garo as deputy governor, as fresh legal action threatens to further complicate the already contentious process of filling the state’s vacant deputy governorship slot.

Three Kano residents — Kuliya Muhammad Salisu, Abdulrashid Aliyu Tanimu, and Sani Hassan Auwal — filed the suit, marked K/265/26, before the High Court of Justice in the Kano Judicial Division. Named as defendants are the Kano State House of Assembly, the Speaker of the House, Murtala Sule Garo himself, and the Attorney General of Kano State.

The plaintiffs invoked the court’s jurisdiction under Section 6(6)(A) and (B) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), Order 39 Rule 1 of the Kano State High Court Rules 2014, and the inherent powers of the court, seeking the determination of questions bordering on whether the House of Assembly possesses the constitutional authority to conduct such screening under its existing standing rules.

The suit arrives at a delicate moment in Kano’s political landscape. Garo has emerged as one of three names being championed by the Ganduje-Barau faction of the All Progressives Congress for the deputy governorship position. He is being considered alongside former Speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly, Kabiru Rurum, and Rabiu Bichi, the Managing Director of the Hadejia-Jama’are River Basin Development Authority.

Despite the intense behind-the-scenes lobbying among the three contenders, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has not yet formally transmitted any nominee to the House of Assembly for screening and confirmation, as required by law.

The legal intervention adds another layer of uncertainty to an already charged political process, with the court action potentially putting any screening exercise on hold pending a judicial ruling on the substantive questions raised by the plaintiffs.

Details of the full reliefs sought and the hearing date were not immediately available, but the originating summons directs all defendants — based at Kano City — to enter appearance within the stipulated number of days following service.