20 years after, apex court set to deliver judgement on Gwandu Emirate tussle

The Supreme Court has reserved until June 6 for judgement in the appeals over the reinstatement of the deposed Al-Mustapha Jokolo as the Emir of Gwandu.

A five-member panel of justices presided over by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji on Tuesday fixed the date after the parties argued their briefs in the court.

The panel also announced that the four appeals and cross appeals will abide by the decision on one of the appeals.

Earlier, counsel to the Kebbi State government, Yakubu Maikyau (SAN), requested the panel to grant leave to file additional grounds of his cross-appeal filed on March 19, 2025, against the Court of Appeal judgment of April 14, 2016.

However, Jokolo’s counsel, Sylvester Imhanobe Esq, urged the panel to dismiss the cross appeal with substantial costs against the Kebbi State governor, Attorney General of Kebbi State, Alhaji Abdullahi Umar, among others as they failed to present any facts to disturb the concurrent findings of the lower courts that the state governor failed to convoke the requisite inquiry as provided by Section 6 of the Chiefs (Appointment and Deposition) Law of Kebbi State before his deposition, as reported by Daily Trust.

In earlier judgments of the High Court in 2005 and the Court of Appeal in Sokoto on April 14, 2016, the courts ordered that Jokolo’s salaries and entitlements for the 10 years he was out of office should be paid to him.