Who says a Godson cannot challenge his godfather in a political contest?
By Adnan Mukhtar
Nigerian politics apart from its notorious nature can also be best described as politics where politicians clamp the latter of victory with the influence of a godfather.
Since the return of democracy in 1999, Godfathers have continuously influenced the emergence of their godsons for political positions.
A godfather is a juggernaut who offers his structure for the emergence and sustenance of a political featherweight in pursuit of a political office.
In other spheres of life, particularly in the business world, such a process which is tantamount to offering a protege a ladder to climb to the top of a business empire could pass off as help rendered by a mentor to a mentee.
From Zamfara to Kano and Sokoto, each time outgoing governors installed their surrogates, their godsons have been known to have picked up the gauntlets against their Godfathers, in some cases, as soon as they mount the throne of power.
Some godsons have challenged their godfathers and won but others had to face the consequences.
Governor Ambode of Lagos State lost party primaries for reelection because of a misunderstanding with his godfather Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Ahmed Sani Yerima was a godfather who brought and supported his Deputy Mahmud Aliyu Shinkafi to succeed him as governor of Zamfara State. Shinkafi won the election, just a year after he assumed the mantle of leadership, a crisis broke out with his Godfather that lasted throughout his tenure.
Shinkafi lost reelection as a result of the feud by decamping to the Peoples Democratic Party ahead of the 2011 general election; an election that he lost to Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar who spent two consecutive terms as governor of Zamfara State.
In 1982, then governor of Kano Abubakar Rimi, a member of the Peoples Redemption Party had to challenge his godfather Mallam Aminu Kano as a result of a party crisis. Rimi had to defect to the governing National Peoples Party of Nnamdi Azikwe when Shagari was President In pursuit of a second term challenging the candidate of his godfather and benefactor Mallam Aminu Kano in 1983. He lost the election to Sabo Aliyu Bakin Zuwo.
Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State contested for election against his godfather and in law whom he served as legislative aide in the National Assembly Sen. Abdullah Wali. Tambuwal versus Aliyu Wammako, both the son and the godfather are currently embroiled in a political duel. Wammako’s godson defeated Tambuwal’s godson in the 2023 governorship contest in Sokoto State.
Take the case of Kwankwaso and his longtime associate Governor Abdullahi Ganduje.
He was the Deputy of Kwankwaso when he was governor and Special Adviser when he was minister of Defence. Their longtime association facilitated the gesture of his emergence as governor of Kano in 2015.
Kwankwaso personally installed Ganduje as his successor in 2015 but is now in a war of attrition to the extent that Kwankwaso was at times barred from stepping foot into Kano which is the capital of a state that he governed twice.
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A comparable political blowout between a godfather and godson in the southeast is the case of Willy Obiano, the current Gov of Anambra state and Peter Obi, the immediate past Gov of the same state. Basically, the narrative is that Obiano, a former executive director in a bank where Obi has substantial interest was virtually imposed on the Anambra people as Governor by Obi.
Olusegun Mimiko was an appointee of the late Dr Olusegun Agagu in Ondo State. The latter as governor appointed the former as the Secretary to the State Government(SSG). Mimiko took up another appointment as a minister at the national level and subsequently resigned to contest against Agagu in the 2007 governorship election, which Mimiko subsequently won via the courts. Mimiko went ahead to be governor for two consecutive terms, without a break.
Former Governor Victor Attah was a benefactor to Godswill Akpabio. Akpabio was a commissioner under Attah. I think he was the commissioner for local government affairs then. The politics of succession made the beneficiary and the benefactor part ways. Attah wanted his son-in-law, Dr Bob Ekarika, to succeed him in 2007. He did all he could to have his way. Akpabio, an appointee of Attah, moved against the dictate of the governor, won the primaries and subsequently went ahead to win the election. He also won his re-election in 2011. He came to the Senate in 2015 and now serving as a minister.
Senator Orji Uzor Kalu is another benefactor whose beneficiary confronted and defeated two times or so in the election for the soul of Abia North until 2019 or so when Kalu had the upper hand.
The late Akin Omoboriowo was deputy governor to Adekunle Ajasin from 1979 to 1983 in Ondo state. In 1983, he defected from the UPN to the NPN and challenged Ajasin for the governorship. He won a disputed election and that led to violence.
Late Governor Akeredolu’s deputy also defected to the PDP in the last election. He lost the PDP primary to Eyitayo Jegede and defected to another party under which he challenged his boss and lost.
The recent challenge by a godson to his godfather is that of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, who contested for the office of the President under the platform of the All Progressives Congress.
One very Monday, his benefactor Bola Tinubu declared his intention at the state house his interest to contest for the office of the President.
Though Osinbajo was at that time yet to declare his intention to the general public or the President there have been speculations by newspapers that he had informed President Buhari of his interest.
Yemi Osinbajo, a senior advocate of Nigeria was a former commissioner in the administration of Bola Tinubu when he was governor of Lagos State.
Tinubu singlehandedly nominated Osinbajo as Buhari’s running mate when he realised that the Muslim Muslim ticket was a no-go area.
If this happened to be true Osinbajo would be participating in the APC primaries against his benefactor Tinubu. That proved the saying that a godson can challenge his godfather.
Governor Siminalayi Fubara is currently having a feud with his godfather Nyesom Wike just seven months after assuming the mantle of the state. We are watching as the drama unfolds.
When Godfatherism is put in the context of the corporate world, its closest approximation would be mentorship or surrogacy which is not intrinsically or inherently negative.
Adnan Mukhtar is a Political PR Consultant and University Lecturer