Sanusi also spoke out on government policies, breaking with royal tradition. He criticised the government of misplaced priorities. In 2017, the emirate council was under investigation for financial irregularities. Many saw this as retribution over comments he made against the state government. The investigation was later called off by the state legislature following intervention by the ruling class. In 2019, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje signed into law the creation of four new emirates; Bichi, Rano, Gaya and Karaye. This unprecedented move saw the partitioning of Sanusi's traditional domain as Emir. According to the law, out of the 44 local government areas in the state, Sanusi as Emir of Kano will preside over just 10 local government areas; with the remainder carved up amongst the new emirates. In March 2020, the state legislature launched a new investigation against The Emir for violation of "traditional practices", this was coming after a high court ruling restraining the corruption investigation against Sanusi.
