Aminu Kano

=== First Republic (1960—1966) ===
{{See also|First Nigerian Republic}}
[[File:Aminu Kano and Edward W. Brice at the second annual conference of AMSAC (June 1959).png|thumb|307x307px|Aminu (L) at the second annual conference of [[American Society of African Culture]] in 1959. At the conference, he gave a lecture on "The Problem of African Education".<ref>{{Cite web |date=1959 |title=Summary report second annual conference |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/al.sff.document.low139_31_01 |access-date=2024-01-09 |website=www.jstor.org |publisher=[[American Society of African Culture]] |language=en |last1=Culture |first1=American Society of African }}</ref>|left]]
As a Parliamentarian, Aminu directed his attention toward national and international issues affecting the newly independent Nigeria, while maintaining his main objective of the emancipation of the ''talakawa''. At the House, he proposed several ways to support and speed up the country's decolonisation efforts. With regard to Nigeria's foreign policy, Aminu was a staunch advocate of [[pan-Africanism]], arguing that Nigeria should become "the base for struggle against the white domination".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Aluko |first=Olajide |url=http://archive.org/details/essaysonnigerian0000aluk |title=Essays on Nigerian foreign policy |date=1981 |publisher=London ; Boston : Allen & Unwin |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-04-327062-2 |pages=125}}</ref> He persistently pushed for Nigeria to increase its support for [[Internal resistance to apartheid|anti-apartheid efforts in South Africa]] and encouraged the continued involvement of Nigeria in restoring "peace and dignity in the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo|Congo]]".<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|page=188}}<ref>{{Cite journal |last= |first= |date=1960 |title=House of Representatives Debates Official Report Vol. II (Session 1960-61), 19th -23rd, 25th - 29th April, 2nd May 1960 |url=https://ir.nilds.gov.ng/handle/123456789/885 |journal=House of Representative Parliamentary Debates |language=en |publisher=[[National Institute for Legislative Studies|National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies]]}}</ref><ref name=":23">{{Cite journal |last= |first= |date=1961 |title=House of Representative Parliamentary Debates First Parliament Second Session 1961-1962, Vol. I |url=https://ir.nilds.gov.ng/handle/123456789/895 |journal=House of Representative Parliamentary Debates |language=en |publisher=[[National Institute for Legislative Studies|National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies]]}}</ref><ref name=":24">{{Cite journal |last= |first= |date=1962 |title=House of Representative Parliamentary Debates First Parliament Third Session 1962-1963, Vol. II |url=https://ir.nilds.gov.ng/handle/123456789/913 |journal=House of Representative Parliamentary Debates |language=en |publisher=[[National Institute for Legislative Studies|National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies]]}}</ref> Appointed as a [[United Nations]] (UN) delegate by the [[Prime Minister of Nigeria]], [[Abubakar Tafawa Balewa]], his former colleague from Bauchi, Aminu was less radical relative to his local activities. During his tenure at the UN, particularly on international matters, he aligned himself with "progressivism and vigilant [[Neutral country|neutralism]]." As a militant pan-Africanist, he advocated for a non-aligned position for Nigeria, believing in the cause of '[[Non-Aligned Movement|non-bloc diplomacy]]'.<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|pages=189-191}}<ref>{{Cite book |last=claude s. phillips |first=jr |url=http://archive.org/details/developmentofnig0000clau |title=the development of nigerian foreign policy |date=1964 |publisher=northwestern university press |others=Internet Archive}}</ref>{{Rp|page=|pages=29-31}}

During Aminu's tenure in the House in [[Lagos]], managing NEPU became increasingly challenging. In early 1961, [[Joseph Tarka]], leader of the [[United Middle Belt Congress]] (UMBC), proposed an alliance between NEPU and his party to form a potent coalition to challenge the NPC in the North. However, the condition was that NEPU would support UMBC's goal of creating a separate [[Middle Belt]] state. While Aminu saw potential benefits in the coalition, he declined due to UMBC's affiliation with the [[Action Group (Nigeria)|Action Group]] (AG). He interpreted the proposal as an indirect attempt by the AG to sever NCNC's ties with NEPU, their main opposition in the south. Despite opposition from some NEPU members, the UMBC proposal gained popularity, and Aminu's rejection faced criticism. NEPU's poor performance in the [[1961 Northern Region legislative election|1961 elections for the Northern House of Assembly]], where they won only one seat, added to the party's internal instability.<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|page=196}}<ref name=":6" />{{Rp|page=421}}<ref name=":26">{{Cite book |last=Dudley |first=Billy J. |url=http://archive.org/details/partiespoliticsi0000dudl |title=Parties and politics in northern Nigeria |date=1968 |publisher=London : Cass |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-7146-1658-2}}</ref>{{Rp|page=183}}
[[File:Premier of Nigeria Sir Ahmadu Bello far right leaving the Atomic Museum Oak Ridge (7196110822).jpg|thumb|Sarkin Kano Muhammad Sanusi I (M) and Sir Ahmadu Bello (R) leaving the [[American Museum of Science and Energy|Atomic Museum]] in [[Oak Ridge, Tennessee|Oak Ridge]], [[United States]] (1960)]]
In 1963, [[Muhammadu Sanusi I|Muhammad Sanusi]] was deposed by the Northern Regional Government as Emir of Kano. Aminu suspected [[Ahmadu Bello]], the [[Premier of Northern Nigeria]] and NPC leader, of being behind the deposition. He distributed posters and propaganda drawing parallels to the historical rivalry between [[Sokoto Caliphate|Sokoto]] and [[Kano Emirate|Kano]]. Sanusi was replaced by the ageing [[Muhammad Inuwa]], who had a cordial relationship with Aminu. Sanusi's supporters formed the [[Kano People's Party]] (KPP), aiming for his return or his son Ado Sanusi's ascension. The KPP allied with NEPU, albeit without a commitment to Sanusi's restoration. NPC, in an attempt to salvage support in Kano, called for its supporters to greet the new Emir. After NEPU supporters were harassed at the gathering, they organised a larger gathering the next day with 35,000 people in attendance, where the Emir received them positively. Inuwa died the day after this gathering and Bello, in an attempt to avoid further unrest, appointed [[Ado Bayero]], Sanusi's half-brother and Nigeria's ambassador to [[Senegal]], as his replacement. Sanusi's deposition significantly impacted NEPU's support in Kano and heightened tensions between Kano and Sokoto, particularly within the [[Sufism|Sufi brotherhoods]] [[Tijaniyyah|Tijanniyya]] and [[Qadiriyya|Qadriyya]]. Although Aminu remained unaffiliated with any Sufi brotherhood, he understood their significance in Northern Nigeria and leveraged the rivalries to advance NEPU's interests. During the [[1964 Nigerian general election|1964 Federal election]] campaigns, Aminu visited Sheikh [[Ibrahim Niass]], the influential Tijanni leader, in [[Kaolack]] resulting in photos of Aminu receiving blessings from the Sheikh circulating in Northern Nigeria.<ref name=":14" />{{Rp|page=182}}<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|pages=200-206}}<ref name=":26" />{{Rp|page=290}}<ref name=":25" />{{Rp|pages=170-183}}

==== 1964 general election ====
After UMBC ended its alliance with the Action Group, NEPU and UMBC formed the [[Northern Progressive Front]] (NPF), aiming to "breakup of the monolithic Northern Region, to give adequate voice to the larger minority groups". The KPP and other smaller groups joined the NPF, with hopes of establishing a separate, independent Kano state. As the country approached elections, all three regions experienced heightened unrest and allegations of corruption. In Kano, Aminu, as NEPU's leader, met with [[Ibrahim Musa Gashash|Ibrahim Gashash]], NPC party leader, to mitigate potential violence by agreeing on electoral conduct. Gashash agreed to persuade his party leaders to avoid bloody clashes "but all to no avail". On December 28, just two days before the election, President [[Nnamdi Azikiwe|Azikiwe]] urged Prime Minister Balewa to postpone the election for six months due to escalating unrest and requested UN monitoring. Balewa rejected the request, claiming that it was beyond his authority. The chairman of the [[Independent National Electoral Commission|Federal Electoral Commission]], without consulting other members, also dismissed it. Which led to three out of six commission members resigning. The perceived injustices and alleged corruption lead to several candidates and parties to boycott the election, resulting in 'lopsided' results. Aminu lost his Kano East constituency to the NPC candidate, [[Mahmud Dantata]], son of [[Alhassan Dantata]] and former NEPU member, with Dantata receiving 1,700 votes against Aminu's 690 out of 40,000 eligible voters.<ref name=":14" />{{Rp|page=312}}<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|pages=207-211}}
[[File:Aminu Kano addresses his constituents.png|left|thumb|A political rally of Aminu during the 1960s]]
Following the election, Aminu and the central working committee of NEPU organised a convention to restrategise. A "White Paper on Political Problems Facing Nigeria" was written to be presented, which evaluated NEPU's role and proposed organisational adjustments. This convention marked the largest in the party's history, with delegates from hundreds of branches across the North in attendance. Among the topics discussed included the possibility of the unification of all opposition political parties in the North, the formation of an "all-encompassing national party", the creation of new states, establishing a scholarship aid. The convention also led to the inception of the [[Kano State Movement]] (KSM), comprising NEPU, KPP, and some dissident NPC members. On April 14, 1965, a mass gathering was held to inaugurate the KSM, drawing one of the largest crowds in Northern Nigerian political history. Ahmadu Trader, Aminu's long-time friend, was appointed its first president and Aminu its political adviser.<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|pages=213-215}} The KSM's primary goal was the formation of a separate Kano state.<ref name=":14" />{{Rp|page=271}}

In 1965, Prime Minister Balewa appointed Aminu as a UN delegate. Aminu represented Nigeria at the 1965 [[United Nations Conference on Trade and Development]]. Upon his return from UN duties, on 6 January 1966, Aminu traveled from Lagos to Kano to attend a NEPU conference, where discussions on ways to restrategise continued. Upon his arrival in Kano, Aminu was informed through [[Abubakar Gumi]], the Grand Khadi ([[Chief justice|Chief Justice]]) of the [[Northern Region, Nigeria|Northern Region]] and Aminu's former colleague in Maru, about a secret meeting arranged by [[Ahmadu Bello]], who was then in [[Mecca]]. The meeting was to be between the three of them and was scheduled for 16 January 1966. However, just before the meeting could take place, Bello was assassinated on 15 January. While Bello's intentions for the meeting remain unclear due to his untimely demise, Gumi's opinion was that he might have been reconsidering the level of repression in the North and sought to negotiate an electoral agreement for the upcoming Northern Regional Assembly elections.<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|page=219}}