The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, has paid a courtesy visit to the Emir of Kano, Khalifa Muhammadu Sanusi II, at the Rumfa Palace.
Yilwatda visited the monarch on Saturday, August 22, 2026, shortly after Sanusi returned from Abuja.
A close associate of the Emir, Muhammad Dallatu, confirmed the meeting to The PUNCH on Sunday, saying the APC chairman and Sanusi held a private meeting at the palace.
Dallatu said, “The APC national chairman paid a courtesy visit to His Highness, the Emir of Kano, at the Rumfa Palace on Saturday.”
He added, “The Emir had just returned from Abuja when the meeting took place, and the two held a closed-door meeting at the palace.”
Dallatu said the issues discussed were not made public because the meeting was private.
The visit comes as political activities increase ahead of the 2027 general elections and amid the long-running dispute over the Kano Emirate.
The crisis began in 2019 when the administration of former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje divided the Kano Emirate into five emirates. The move also saw Sanusi removed as Emir of Kano, while Aminu Ado Bayero was installed as the 15th Emir.
The decision led to a prolonged political and traditional dispute, with supporters of both sides maintaining competing claims to the throne.
In 2024, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s administration repealed the law that created the five emirates and restored the Kano Emirate under Sanusi. He subsequently returned to the throne as the 16th Emir of Kano.
The development, however, did not end the dispute, as Bayero continued to receive support from some political and traditional groups, particularly those linked to the former Ganduje administration.
Sanusi, meanwhile, has retained the backing of the current Kano State Government.
The emirate dispute has also resulted in several legal and political battles, with supporters of both camps continuing to defend their positions.
Yilwatda’s visit is therefore likely to attract political attention, especially as the APC prepares for the 2027 elections.
APC National Chairman Yilwatda meets Emir Sanusi behind closed doors in Kano