Emirate dispute: Bayero’s legal team storms out of court, withdraws appearance
From Desmond Mgboh Kano
The legal team representing the 15th Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, yesterday, withdrew their appearance and staged a walk out from a Kano High court presided over by Justice Amina Adamu Aliyu.
Their withdrawal followed the refusal of the court to adjourn the case to enable them to respond to claims made by the applicant in their originating summons.
The lead counsel, Abdullahi Mohammed, disclosed that they had no alternative following what had happened in court but to withdraw their appearance and report back to their client so he could appoint another counsel to represent him.
Bayero is the first defendant in the case filed by the Attorney General of Kano State, the Speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly, Kano State House of Assembly, seeking to evict from the state as well as to stop the five deposed emirs of Kano, Bichi, Gaya, Rano and Karaye from further parading themselves as Emirs.
Despite their withdrawal and walk out, the judge continued with the hearing of the applications, especially after the applicant’s counsel had argued that Aminu’s team only withdrew their appearance but did not withdraw the processes they had earlier before the court.
Counsel to the other emirs (3rd, 4th and 5th defendants) did not join in the walk out but remained in court to push their case.
In their submission, they opposed the contents of the originating summon, insisting that due process and laid down procedure were not followed by the House of Assembly in the deposition of the five monarchs
They urged the judge to set aside the repealed Kano Emirate Council Law and order the applicant to pay a punitive cost of N1 billion to the defendants.
Justice Amina Adamu Aliyu adjourned the case to July 18 for ruling on the applications which included extension of time sought by the 3rd, 4th and 5th defendants, a notice of preliminary objection, an application to set aside the ex parte order, an applications to cross-examine the deponent and the originating summon.
