By Hotgist9ja Politics Desk
Eid al-Fitr is supposed to be the day when Muslims come together. After a month of fasting, prayer, reflection and sacrifice — the Eid celebration is the moment of collective joy. The moment when differences are set aside. The moment when the ummah — the community of believers — stands as one before Allah.
Not in Kano. Not this year.
On the morning of Eid al-Fitr, as millions of Muslims across Nigeria and the world gathered to mark the end of Ramadan, the ancient city of Kano — the commercial heart of northern Nigeria and one of the most historically significant cities in all of Africa — held not one Eid prayer, not two, but three completely separate Eid prayers.
At Kofar Mata Eid Ground — the traditional site of Kano's Eid prayers for generations — the reinstated 16th Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, led worship alongside Governor Abba Yusuf and senior government officials.
At roughly the same time, at Nasarawa Palace, the 15th Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, held his own parallel prayer with his own set of dignitaries and supporters.
And simultaneously, at his residence along Miller Road, former Governor and Kwankwasiyya Movement leader Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso led a third prayer gathering — joined by the state's Deputy Governor and a host of political loyalists.
Three prayers. Three locations. Three camps. One city.
Nigeria, this is not normal. And it deserves to be told in full. 🔥
📜 How Kano Got Here — The Full Background
To understand why three powerful men in Kano could not pray together on Eid morning, you need to understand the extraordinary chain of events that has been unfolding in Nigeria's most complex state since 2020.
The story begins with Muhammadu Sanusi II — one of the most intellectually formidable and politically controversial figures in modern Nigerian history. Before becoming Emir of Kano in 2014, Sanusi was the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria — the man who blew the whistle on the alleged theft of $20 billion in oil revenue under the Jonathan administration, a revelation that made him powerful enemies and eventually cost him his CBN job.
As Emir, Sanusi continued to speak with the same fearlessness — criticising poverty, inequality, child marriage and northern Nigeria's educational crisis from his royal throne. He was eloquent. He was provocative. He was impossible to ignore. And in February 2020, the government of then-Kano Governor Abdullahi Ganduje — who had his own long-running feud with the Emir — deposed him from the throne and placed him under house arrest in a move that shocked Nigeria and the world.
In his place, Aminu Ado Bayero — a member of the Kano royal family and son of the late revered Emir Ado Bayero — was installed as the 15th Emir of Kano.
For four years, Bayero served as Emir — building his own support base, establishing his own court and his own loyalties across Kano's vast traditional institution.
Then in 2024, the political winds shifted. Governor Ganduje was out. A new governor — Abba Kabir Yusuf — was in. And one of his first major acts was to reinstate Sanusi II as the 16th Emir of Kano.
But here is the problem: nobody deposed Bayero. Nobody told him he was no longer Emir.
And so Kano ended up with something that has almost no precedent in Nigerian traditional history — two parallel Emirs simultaneously claiming authority over the same throne. Sanusi at Gidan Rumfa. Bayero at Nasarawa Palace. Two courts. Two sets of loyalists. Two rival traditional authorities. And deep, barely suppressed tensions simmering beneath every public occasion.
Add to this the political dimension — Governor Yusuf's recent defection from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), which has further scrambled the political alliances in the state. And the presence of Kwankwaso — the founder and undisputed leader of the powerful Kwankwasiyya political movement — who commands a loyalty among Kano's working-class youth that neither emir can match.
Put it all together — and you get three separate Eid prayers on the morning of Nigeria's holiest Islamic celebration.
🕌 What Happened At Each Prayer Ground
Prayer 1 — Kofar Mata Eid Ground (Sanusi):
The reinstated 16th Emir, Muhammadu Sanusi II, walked from the historic Gidan Rumfa palace — in compliance with government directives restricting horse parades — leading thousands of worshippers at the traditional Kofar Mata Eid Ground at approximately 8:00 a.m.
Governor Abba Yusuf was present, alongside Secretary to the State Government Umar Faruq and Commissioner of Police Ibrahim Adamu Bakori. The sermon, delivered by a close associate of the Emir, focused on unity and peaceful coexistence in Kano.
After prayers, Sanusi addressed the crowd at Kofar Kwaru — urging residents to uphold the virtues of Ramadan, warning youths against violence, advising traders against arbitrary price increases, and offering prayers for victims of recent market fires. He commended Governor Yusuf's infrastructure projects and called for continued public support for the administration.
Notably — the state's Deputy Governor Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo was absent from Sanusi's prayer. He was reportedly with Kwankwaso.
Prayer 2 — Nasarawa Palace (Bayero):
At his Nasarawa Palace, the 15th Emir Aminu Ado Bayero held a parallel Eid prayer led by Sheikh Kamaluddeen Albasa. The prayer also emphasised unity, peace and stability — with notable attendees including Baffa Babba Dan Agundi and former SSG Usman Alhaji.
Bayero thanked Allah for the Ramadan period and urged citizens to embrace peaceful coexistence and respect for the law. He commended Islamic scholars and clerics for their prayers and expressed hope that food prices and essential commodities would become more affordable.
Security across Kano remained tight during both the Kofar Mata and Nasarawa Palace prayers — with authorities maintaining order throughout the day.
Prayer 3 — Miller Road Residence (Kwankwaso):
Simultaneously, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso — the founder of the Kwankwasiyya Movement and one of the most influential political figures in northern Nigeria — convened his own Eid prayer at his private residence mosque along Miller Road.
He was joined by Deputy Governor Aminu Gwarzo — whose absence from Sanusi's prayer at Kofar Mata was immediately noticed and commented upon — as well as former Commissioner for Science and Technology Yusuf Kofar Mata and other Kwankwasiyya loyalists.
Kwankwaso's media aide Saifullahi Hassan described the gathering as having been conducted in an atmosphere of "unity, reflection, and gratitude to Allah."
🏛️ What This Means — The Political Analysis
The symbolism of three separate Eid prayers in Kano cannot be overstated. For generations, the Eid prayer at Kofar Mata Eid Ground was one of the most powerful demonstrations of Kano's unity — a moment when the Emir, the governor, political leaders and ordinary residents of every tribe and background came together as one people under the sky.
That tradition — which dates back centuries — has now been broken. And it has been broken not by accident but by the accumulated weight of political rivalry, royal succession disputes and a governance crisis that successive administrations have failed to resolve.
Political analysts describe what happened in Kano on Eid morning as a public manifestation of a private war — three power centres that can no longer even pretend to be united, even on the holiest day of the Islamic calendar.
"The three separate Eid prayers in Kano represent a dramatic and historic rupture in one of northern Nigeria's most important unifying traditions. When the leaders of a city cannot pray together on Eid — the day of celebration and brotherhood — it tells you everything about the depth of the divisions that have been allowed to fester. This is not just a royal succession dispute. It is a political crisis that has now infected the most sacred space available to these men — the prayer ground."
— Northern Nigeria Political Analyst
"The Deputy Governor's absence from the official Eid prayer to attend Kwankwaso's private gathering is a political statement of the highest order. It signals where real loyalties lie within the Kano government — and it suggests that the fragile political alignment that brought Governor Yusuf to power is under serious strain."
— Political Commentator, Daily Trust
"Kano has always been a city of layers — traditional, political, religious and commercial. The three Eid prayers simply make visible what has long been invisible. The question is not whether Kano is divided — it clearly is. The question is whether anyone in a position of authority has the will and the wisdom to begin the process of healing those divisions before they become irreversible."
— Governance Analyst, Premium Times
📱 How Nigerians Are Reacting
The news of three separate Eid prayers in Kano spread rapidly across Nigerian social media — and reactions ranged from deep concern to bitter humour.
"Three Eid prayers in one city. Three powerful men who could not find it in themselves to stand side by side before Allah on Eid morning. This is the state of Kano. God help us."
— Twitter/X user, Kano
"Kwankwaso prayed at his house. The Deputy Governor went with Kwankwaso instead of the official prayer. This is the real political gist inside this Eid story. The Kano government is not as united as people think."
— Twitter/X political analyst
"Imagine being in Kano and not knowing which Eid prayer to attend. Do you go to Kofar Mata with Sanusi? Do you go to Nasarawa with Bayero? Or do you go to Miller Road with Kwankwaso? The ordinary people of Kano are the ones suffering from this elite drama."
— Facebook user
"Both emirs preached unity and peaceful coexistence in their separate sermons. The irony writes itself."
— Twitter/X user
"Sanusi is brilliant but controversial. Bayero is dignified but displaced. Kwankwaso is powerful but increasingly isolated. Three men who could have resolved this years ago if ego had not been in the way. Kano deserves better."
— Instagram comment
🔮 What Happens Next — The Road Ahead For Kano
The Kano emirate crisis shows no signs of resolution. The legal battles over the throne have been ongoing. The political realignments — particularly Governor Yusuf's defection to the APC — have further complicated an already impossible situation.
Several questions now hang over Kano's immediate future:
- 🔹 Will the federal courts deliver a definitive ruling on the emirate succession dispute that both sides will accept?
- 🔹 Will Governor Yusuf's relationship with Kwankwaso — his political godfather — continue to deteriorate, and what does that mean for the stability of the Kano government?
- 🔹 Is there any leader — political, religious or traditional — with the moral authority and practical leverage to bring Sanusi, Bayero and Kwankwaso to a genuine reconciliation?
- 🔹 Will the three separate Eid prayers become an annual fixture — a permanent symbol of Kano's division — or will this be the last time?
For ordinary Kano residents — who simply want to live their lives, run their businesses, raise their children and worship in peace — these questions are not abstract political puzzles. They are daily realities. The instability at the top of Kano's power structure creates uncertainty, insecurity and a sense of abandonment that affects everyone at the bottom.
As Nigeria continues to navigate complex national challenges — from the UK-Nigeria migration deal and the Ekweremadu question to the fourth fuel price hike in March alone — the Kano crisis serves as a reminder that Nigeria's most urgent problems are often not the ones making international headlines. They are the slow-burning, deeply rooted crises of governance and legitimacy that fester in plain sight while the cameras look elsewhere.
🗣️ In Pidgin — As Naija People Dey See Am
Okay make we talk this one straight because e too sweet to complicate.
Eid na the day wey Muslims dey celebrate together after one month of fasting. Na the day of unity. Na the day wey everybody suppose face the same direction, stand the same ground, worship the same God.
But for Kano this year — three powerful men no fit do that. Sanusi go him own prayer ground. Bayero go him own palace. Kwankwaso pray for him house. Three separate gatherings. Same city. Same morning. Same God.
And the Deputy Governor wey suppose dey with the official government prayer — e go join Kwankwaso for Miller Road. That one alone na political bombshell.
The funny part? Both Sanusi and Bayero preach about unity and peaceful coexistence for their separate sermons. The same message. Different grounds. The irony too much.
This na what six years of emirate crisis don produce for Kano. Two emirs. One throne. Zero agreement. And now the biggest Islamic celebration of the year don become a symbol of everything wey don go wrong.
Kano people deserve better than this. The ordinary market woman, the student, the trader — dem no care about who sit on which throne. Dem want peace. Dem want unity. Dem want the kind of Kano wey dem grow up knowing.
Whether dem go get am — that na the question wey nobody don answer yet. 🦅🇳🇬
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Sources: Punch, Daily Post, Daily Trust, Vanguard, Premium Times, Blueprint Newspapers, Legit.ng, Hallmark News