Emir of Zazzau, Ahmad Bamalli has broken his silence over the emirate crisis, saying the former Wazirin Zazzau, Alhaji Ibrahim Muhammad-Aminu absconded from duty seven months to the termination of his appointment.
The royal father made this known during a courtesy visit by the Kaduna Zonal Manager of the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, Bashir Rabe-Mani, and Kaduna Regional Manager, Media Trust Group, Zaria Yusuf Jidda.
Bamalli said the former Wazirin Zazzau had absconded for seven months before being officially sacked by the state government.
He said the council constituted a delegation comprising all its members under the leadership of Alhaji Nuhu Aliyu-Magaji (Galadiman Zazzau) to meet Muhammad-Aminu over his absence.
He added that the former waziri intimated the delegation that he would come back to his duties, unfortunately, he did not return to the office.
“After sometime, I resent the team to meet the ex-waziri over his persistent absence, but there was no response from him.
“I had no option than to formally write to the state government over the matter. Subsequently, his appointment was terminated
“Unfortunately, a different thing has been portrayed from a section of the media; some of them went to the extent of showing that the ex-waziri was victimised or witch-hunted,” Bamalli said.
He, however, said in spite of the anomalies in the process of selecting a new emir of Zazzau, Bamalli said he remains pleased with the kingmakers even though none of them voted for him.
The emir said he expected some people, especially the media to dig deep and find out the 2020 process of selecting the emir of Zazzau.
According to him, the process took place at the Ahmadu Bello University, ABU, Zaria and coordinated by the then Secretary to the State Government, SSG, now the Minister of Environment Alhaji Balarabe Abbas.
The emir stated that the then commissioner of police and director of the Department of State Service, DSS, were also observers of the process.
“While at ABU waiting for the kingmakers, the ex-waziri approached the SSG with a list of three people as nominees for the throne.
“But the then SSG told the former waziri that they were observers from the state government with a view to ensure that due process and transparency were followed in electing the new emir
“The former SSG enquired from the former waziri how they arrived at the three names and scores on each candidate but no tangible explanation was offered,’’ the emir said.
Bamalli said the kingmakers rated Alhaji Bashir Aminu (Iyan Zazzau) as scoring 89 and Alhaji Munir Jafaru, (Yariman Zazzau), as second with 87 marks.
He added that he was rated third having scored 62 on the ground that he does not have a national honour and district headship, while Alhaji Aminu Shehu Idris (Turakin Zazzau) scored 53.
“As at that time, I was a serving ambassador in Thailand and Myanmar, is there any national honour more than being a president of your country in another country?
“I was a former Magajin Garin Zazzau for 19 years,’’ the emir said.
The royal father queried that national honour was not part of the criteria for appointing an emir and district headship; saying, “on these, the kingmakers scored me zero.
“But to my dismay, the kingmakers excluded my name and submitted the names of late Aminu, Jafaru and Alhaji Aminu Shehu-Idris who was number four on the list.
NAN recalls that Muhammad-Aminu had petitioned the Kaduna State House of Assembly, seeking the reversal of Bamalli’s appointment as the 19th Emir of Zazzau.
The deposed waziri made the petition after losing the legal battle at the Kaduna State High Court and the Court of Appeal, Kaduna Division. (NAN)
