Court orders service on El- Rufai, others in Zazzau stool suit

Hearing begins October 27

THE High Court of Justice in Dogarawa, Zaria, Kaduna State, has commenced sitting on the suit filed by the Iyan Zazzau, Bashir Aminu, challenging the appointment of Ambassador Ahmad Bamalli as new Emir of Zazzau.

When the case came up yesterday, the presiding judge, Justice Kabir Dabo, ordered that the parties involved in the litigation be served notices for the case to commence on October 27, 2020.

Counsel to the plaintiff, Samuel Atum, who stood for Ustaz Yunus ( SAN), told journalists that they were in court to challenge the process of appointing Bamalli as the new emir.

Earlier in a motion of notice submitted in the court, the plaintiff sought a declaration “that the plaintiff is the Emir of Zazzau and is entitled to all rights and privileges pertaining thereto; an order setting aside the purported appointment of the 10th defendant ( Bamalli) as the Emir of Zazzau; an injunction restraining the first, second, third and fourth defendants from acting in the installation of the 10th defendant to the throne of the Emir of Zazzau or presenting to the 10th defendant with the staff of office until the final determination of this suit.”

Others are: “An order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from treating, presenting or installing the 10th defendant as the Emir of Zazzau; an order restraining the 10th defendant from parading as the Emir of Zazzau or wearing any paraphernalia or insignia of the Emir; and an order restraining the first to fourth defendants from installing the 10th defendant as the emir or handing him the emir’s staff of office.”

The plaintiff argued that on September 25, the Zazzau Emirate kingmakers, chaired by the Wazirin Zazzau, Ibrahim Aminu, had forwarded a list of three princes to the governor for consideration and appointment of a new emir.

The three candidates selected from 11 princes of the four ruling houses of the emirate were the Iyan Zazzau, Bashir Aminu, who scored 89 marks; the Yariman Zazzau, Munir Jafaru, who got 87 marks; and the Turakin Karamin Zazzau, Aminu Idris, who got 53 marks.

However, the governor, on October 1, rejected the list submitted by the kingmakers, insisting that all aspirants should be given the chance to contest.

El- Rufai, thereafter, appointed Bamalli as the new emir, jettisoning the recommendation of the kingmakers.