The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), has pledged to support the deposed Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido, with N3 million towards seeking legal redress over his removal by Kano State Government.
Mr Ikenga Ugochinyere, spokesperson for CUPP said this while addressing newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja.
He said that the removal of Lamido was an attack on Nigeria’s Constitutional Democracy and traditional institution.
Ugochinyere said that CUPP believed that Lamido’s removal was illegal, unconstitutional and a violation of his human rights and urged him to challenge the action in court.
He said that CUPP would launch legal offensive against acts of banishing citizens to areas without lawful court orders.
“The Nigerian opposition coalition received with shock, the news of the illegal and arbitrary dethronement and purported banishment of the Emir of Kano Muhammad Sanusi II by Kano State Government.
“We wish to state that the dethronement and banishment was illegal, unconstitutional and a grave assault against our constitutional democracy and the fundamental rights guaranteed under Sections 34, 35, 36, 38, 39, 40, 41, and 43 of the 1999 Constitution as amended .
“The Emir was not given right to be heard which renders the action of the Kano State Executive Council illegal, arbitrary, unconstitutional and null and void.
“The banishment is a barbaric and mundane assault on Sanusi’s human right as a Nigerian citizen provided under Sections 34, 35, 36, 38, 39, 40, 41, and 43 of the 1999 Constitution as amended,’’ he said.
Ugochinyere said that Lamido’s right to dignity as human being, his right to personal liberty, right to fair hearing, right to freedom of thought and conscience, right to freedom of expression and movement among others were all flagrantly violated.
“No governor or president has right to banish a Nigerian citizen or forcefully move him to any location in violation of right of movement, right to life and a multitude of other rights except by an order of court,’’ he said.
According to him, the ancient ecclesiastical punishment of banishment and deportation cannot stand in a democracy.
“This was held by the Court of Appeal in the locus Classicus case of Government of Kebbi State vs. HRH Mustapha Jokolo(2013) LPER where the Appellate court condemned and declared that banishment and deportation of a deposed king is unconstitutional.
“Nigeria is still a Constitutional democracy; we are not in competition with Mugabe’s Zimbabwe, Idi Amin’s Uganda or Nkuruzizia’s Burundi that destroys anybody, parliamentary that stands up against the desires of a few people to hang on to power.
“In view of the illegality, we urge the peoples Emir to seek redress in court to set aside this action for the good of the nation and others who may be silenced and treated like him.
“The CUPP as a group dedicated to promotion of democracy would challenge the banishment proclamation in court because democracy and constitutionality had brought a new dawn and ended barbaric acts of yesterday,” he said.
