Tolu Ogunlesi, an aide to President Muhammadu Buhari has said Lamido Sanusi, the ousted Emir of Kano is not above dethronement.
Mr Ogunlesi stated this on Tuesday while responding to a query asking if state governors are empowered to dethrone traditional rulers.
Mr Ogunlesi who did not back up his claim with any section of the constitution said state governors are constitutional power to dethrone traditional rulers in their domain.
Mr Sanusi was booted out from office by the state governor, Umar Ganduje, who accused the former Central Bank Governor of insubordination.
“A sitting Governor can dethrone anybody – as in they have the power to. That’s the way the system is set up,” the president’s special assistant on new media said in a tweet.
“Nobody is above being dethroned. Governors formally appoint them, present them staffs of office, fund their offices. Whether this should be so is another matter entirely,” he said.
Ogunlesi cited a similar situation in Rivers State to buttress his claim.
“You people saw how Wike paraded Rivers Traditional Rulers recently and addressed them like a kindergarten class,” Ogunlesi said in another tweet.
“That’s the power a Governor has over royal institutions. Every Governor. It actually didn’t start today, has been so for a long long time,” he added.
However, the presidential aide said the banishment placed on the ousted traditional ruler is a violation of the constitution.
“Banishment is a different matter entirely. At least one Court has ruled that it does violate the Constitution – in the case between HRH Mustapha Jokolo, (deposed and banished from Gwandu Emirate by the Gov of Kebbi in June 2005) and the Govt of Kebbi,” he added.
