Traditional Institutions and Power Configuration in Contemporary Northern Nigeria: Kano State Emirate Council in Perspective

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume IV, Issue VII, July 2020 | ISSN 2454–6186

Traditional Institutions and Power Configuration in Contemporary Northern Nigeria: Kano State Emirate Council in Perspective

Mustapha Salihu¹, Yahaya Yakubu^2
1Ph.D. Candidate, International Relations Department, Nile University of Nigeria
²Political Science & Int’l Relations, Nile University of Nigeria

Abstract: The study building on the pedestals of the governance theory sought to examine the place of traditional institutions in relation to power configuration in contemporary Northern Nigeria. In this regard, the role of the former Emir of Kano HRH Sanusi Lamido Sanusi in the build up to the February 2019 governorship election in Kano State is examined. Review of relevant literature shows the existence of a consensus across board on the purported political value of traditional institutions. It was duly observed by means of examining prior studies and gazette publications that the open support of the Emir of Kano for the opposition party almost cost the incumbent governor the election, one which he eventually won only after a re-run. To this end, the governor upon re-election initiated legislative amendments that reduced the jurisdiction of the Emir and subsequent deposition of the Emir. The actions of the Kano State government are herewith understood as steps taken checkmate the political influence of the Emir. In lieu, the study recommends for the formal inclusion of traditional institutions as intermediaries between state and society in the event that the neutrality of such institutions can be guaranteed.

Keywords: Traditional Institutions, Formal Institutions, Kano State Emirate Council, Governance and Elections.

I.INTRODUCTION

Despite evident contextual variations, it is not uncommon for institutions to be understood from a Eurocentric standpoint, resulting in the analysis of institutions in Europe and beyond on the basis of formality. Resultantly, there exist higher levels of predispositions not to acknowledge diverse kinds of institutions other than those obtained in the West, which are legitimized by variants of customary laws or traditions across different parts of the world. Substantiatively, Shandama (2006) attributes this trend to the absence of informal and non-regulatory institutions in subsequent theories of contemporary states. Amounting to stereotypical perceptions that denotes indigenous institutions as primitive, backward, and as such their existence are termed problematic in democratic settings.

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