The Emir of Zazzau, Ahmad Bamalli, has broken his silence over the Zazzau Emirate crisis, saying the removed official absconded from duty seven months before his appointment was terminated.

The royal father made this known during a courtesy visit by Bashir Rabe-Mani, the Kaduna zonal manager of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) and Yusuf Jidda, Kaduna regional manager of the Media Trust Group in Zaria.

Emir Bamalli said the former Wazirin Zazzau had absconded for seven months before being officially sacked by the state government

He said the council constituted a delegation comprising all its members under the leadership of Nuhu Aliyu-Magaji (Galadiman Zazzau), to meet Mr Muhammad-Aminu over his absence.

He added that the former Waziri intimated the delegation that he would come back to his duties, bur did not return to the office.

“After some time, I re-sent 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.

“Unfortunately, a different thing has been portrayed by a section of the media. Some of them went to the extent of showing that the ex-waziri was victimised or witch-hunted,’’ Emir Bamalli said.

He said that in spite of the controversies that trailed the process of selecting the new Emir of Zazzau, he remained very pleased with the kingmakers, even though none of them voted for him.

The emir said he expected some people, especially the media, to dig deep and find out the 2020 process of selecting the Emir of Zazzau.

According to him, the process took place at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria and was led by the then Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Kaduna State, now the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas.

The emir stated that the then Commissioner of Police and Director of SSS were also observers of the process.

“While at ABU 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.

“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,’’ the emir said.

Emir Bamalli said the kingmakers rated Bashir Aminu (Iyan Zazzau) as scoring 89 and Munir Jafaru (Yariman Zazzau) as second with 87 marks.

He added that he was rated third, having scored 62, on the ground that he did not have a national honour and district headship, while Aminu Shehu Idris (Turakin Zazzau) scored 53.

“At that time, I was a serving Ambassador in Thailand and Myanmar. 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,’’ the emir said.

The royal father queried that national honour was not part of the criteria for appointing the emir and district headship; saying, “On these, the kingmakers scored me zero.

“But to my dismay, the kingmakers excluded my name and submitted the names of late Bashir Aminu, Munir Jafaru and Alhaji Aminu Shehu-Idris, who was number four on the list.

“Remember, from the onset, my application was flung away by the former Waziri.

“He also refused to collect the application of my nephew, the Bunun Zazzau, District Head of Kaduna, and the applications of a few other applicants.

“This is what they did, and the records are there for anybody to verify.”

NAN recalls that Mr Muhammad-Aminu petitioned the Kaduna State House of Assembly, seeking the reversal of the appointment of Mr Bamalli as the 19th Emir of Zazzau.

The deposed waziri made the petition after losing the legal battle at the Kaduna State High Court and the Court of Appeal, Kaduna Division.

(NAN)