Maccido was prominent in Abubakar's court while growing up and his father's system of leadership had significant impacts on Maccido's eventual reign. One example was in 1943 when Sardauna Ahmadu, who had challenged Abubakar in the selection as sultan, was accused of misappropriating tax money and was punished with jail by Abubakar; however, Ahmadu hired a lawyer in the south to appeal the conviction and the British court ordered the charges dropped. The political situation was quite tense after this and from this Maccido learned to reconcile with political opponents.