New Emir of Zazzau: Kaduna adds Bamalli to list of contenders

New Emir of Zazzau: El-Rufai’s ally shortlisted

There are strong indications that the Kaduna State Government has changed the list containing names of the three people considered top contenders for the throne of Emir of Zazzau presented to it by the kingmakers of the emirate.

A new list containing four names including Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s ally, Alhaji Ahmad Nuhu Bamalli, whose name was missing in the first one, has been submitted to the government on Sunday, Daily Trust learnt.

Bamalli is the Magajin Garin Zazzau.

Seven days since the demise of the 18th Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Shehu Idris, who died at the age of 84 after a brief illness at the 44 Army Referral Hospital,  Kaduna, it is still not clear who will emerge as the 19th Emir of Zazzau.

Correspondents in Kaduna report anxiety in Zaria as residents earnestly wait for the announcement of their new emir.

Daily Trust recalled that the kingmakers of the Zazzau Emirate Council, on Thursday, submitted the names of three people for the governor to pick one as new emir.

The name of Bamalli was conspicuously missing, development sources said did not go down well with his friend Governor El- Rufai.

Credible sources close to the Kaduna State Government confirmed to Daily Trust on Sunday that the earlier list of three candidates handed over to the government through the commissioner of local government and chieftaincy matters had been changed to place Bamalli as number one on the list.

There were claims that that Bamalli was added to the list to give the Mallawa ruling house equal opportunity to vie for the coveted throne.

Several opinion articles have been published on social media to support the alteration of the original list even as it is not clear who is behind the sponsored write-ups.

When contacted, the governor El-Rufai’s Adviser on Media and Communication, Muyiwa Adekeye did not respond to calls to his phone.

• Adapted from a Daily Trust report.