The Supreme Court has set June 6 for its judgment in the two-decade-long dispute over the rightful occupant of the Emir of Gwandu stool in Kebbi State, North-West Nigeria.
A five-member panel, headed by Justice Uwani Aji, scheduled the date after hearing the final arguments from the lawyers representing the parties involved in the three appeals.
The appeals primarily challenge the decision made about seven years ago by the Sokoto Division of the Court of Appeal, which reinstated HRH Alhaji Mustapha Jokolo as the 19th Emir of Gwandu.
Since the Court of Appeal’s order for Jokolo’s reinstatement, the Kebbi State Government has failed to comply.
Alhaji Jokolo had been deposed in 2005, an action he immediately contested before the Kebbi State High Court.
In 2014, the Kebbi State High Court in Birnin Kebbi ruled that Jokolo should be reinstated, finding that his deposition was illegal and that due process had not been followed.
The Kebbi State Government and Jokolo’s successor appealed the decision, which led to a 2016 ruling by the Court of Appeal. The appellate court concluded that the Emir’s deposition violated sections 6 and 7 of the Chief Appointment and Deposition Law of the State, as the Governor had not conducted an inquiry into the allegations against the Emir or consulted the Kebbi State Council of Chiefs before making his decision.
