Governor Nasir El-Rufai has said that the Kaduna State Government feels a profound sense of loss at the demise of His Royal Highness, the Emir of Zazzau Alhaji (Dr) Shehu Idris.
In a statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Mr Muyiwa Adekeye on Wednesday evening, the governor once again commiserated with the people of Zazzau Emirate, adding that the state will miss the late Emir’s dependable counsel and wisdom.
Referencing the widespread interest in the succession to the Zazzau throne, El-Rufai prayed that Allah will grant the kingmakers wisdom in recommending an Emir with the qualities of the late Alhaji Shehu Idris.
The governor, who spoke at the third-day prayer for late Emir held in Zaria on Wednesday, noted that the deceased Monarch lived a life that many mortals will like to emulate.
‘’The prayers marked the last day of the three-day mourning period announced by the state government in honour of the late Emir, with today specifically declared a public holiday,’’ the statement noted.
Speaking at the event, former President Olusegun Obasanjo paid tribute to the late Emir for the support he received as military head of state in the 1970s and as an elected president 20 years later.
The governors of Ekiti, Plateau, Niger and Jigawa states also spoke at the event.
‘’With the conclusion of the official mourning period, the Kaduna State Government is awaiting receipt in the next few days of the recommendations of the kingmakers of Zazzau Emirate regarding the next Emir,’’ the statement added.
Adekeye advised that ‘’while the relevant institutions engage in their deliberations, the state government urges all residents to wait for official announcements and to ignore speculations, rumours and fake news.’’
