The Emir of Zazzau, Ambassador Ahmad Nuhu Bamalli, has publicly addressed the ongoing crisis within the Zazzau Emirate, revealing details behind his strained relationship with the former Wazirin Zazzau, Ibrahim Muhammad-Aminu, who initiated calls for his removal.
Speaking during a courtesy visit by Bashir Rabe-Mani, Kaduna Zonal Manager of the News Agency of Nigeria and Yusuf Jidda, Kaduna Regional Manager of Media Trust Group, the Emir disclosed that Muhammad-Aminu had absconded from his duties for seven months before his eventual dismissal by the Kaduna State Government.
He explained that the Emirate Council initially constituted a delegation led by Nuhu Aliyu-Magaji, Galadiman Zazzau, to meet with the former Waziri over his prolonged absence.
“The former Waziri intimated the delegation that he would come back to his duties, unfortunately he did not return to the office,” Bamalli said.
“After some time, I resent the team again to meet the ex-Waziri over his persistent absence but there was no response from him. I have no option than to formally write to the state government over the matter, subsequently his appointment was terminated,” he added.
The Emir expressed concern that some media reports had misrepresented the facts, suggesting the former Waziri was being persecuted. “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 stated.
On the controversy surrounding his emergence as the 19th Emir of Zazzau in 2020, Bamalli acknowledged irregularities but maintained confidence in the kingmakers despite none voting for him. He urged journalists to scrutinize the process thoroughly.
He recounted that the selection process was conducted at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, under the supervision of the then Secretary to the State Government, now Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas, along with the Commissioner of Police and the Director of the State Security Service.
“While at ABU in the waiting for the Kingmakers, the ex-Waziri approached the SSG with the list of three people as nominees for the throne of the Emir of Zazzau,” Bamalli narrated.
He continued, “But the then SSG told the former Waziri that they were observers from the state government with a view to ensuring that due process and transparency were followed in electing the new emir. The former SSG further enquired from the former Waziri on how they arrived at the three names and scores on each candidate but no tangible explanation was offered by the former Waziri.”
According to Bamalli, the kingmakers rated Bashir Aminu (Iyan Zazzau) highest with 89 points, followed by Munir Jafaru (Yariman Zazzau) with 87. Bamalli himself was ranked third with 62 points, reportedly due to a lack of national honour and district headship experience. Alhaji Aminu Shehu Idris (Turakin Zazzau) came fourth with 53 points.
He questioned the basis of the scoring system, arguing that his service as Nigeria’s ambassador to Thailand and Myanmar should count as national recognition. “Is there any national honour than being a President of your country in another country? I was a former Magajin Garin Zazzau for 19 years,” he said.
Bamalli also claimed that national honour and district headship were not among the official criteria for selection, yet the kingmakers awarded him zero in those areas. “But to my dismay, the kingmakers excluded my name and submitted the names of late Bashir Aminu, Munir Jafaru and Aminu Shehu-Idris who was number four on the list,” he said.
He alleged further that his application, along with that of his nephew—the Bunun Zazzau, District Head of Kaduna—and several others, was rejected by the former Waziri. “This is what they did and the records are there for anybody to verify,” Bamalli added.
It will be recalled that Ibrahim Muhammad-Aminu had petitioned the Kaduna State House of Assembly seeking to reverse Bamalli’s appointment after losing legal challenges at both the Kaduna State High Court and the Court of Appeal, Kaduna Division.
