By KAZEEM AKINTUNDE
It was Senator Ayo Arise, who represented Ekiti North Senatorial District during the sixth National Assembly between 2007 and 2011 that described the Nigerian version of politics as the most lucrative job in the country. Arise told the nation in 2013 that many of them made stupendous money whilst making laws for Nigeria and Nigerians and that period would remain etched in his mind forever.
Indeed, we have seen a pauper who became a billionaire overnight once they got elected into political office in Nigeria, be it at the council, state, or national level.
Politics in Nigeria is one vocation (though it is now literally a profession) for some category of Nigerians where those who want to make it big flock into, which explains the desperation, crude determination, and crass opportunism that makes some of its practitioners consider doing the unthinkable to achieve their goals. Some are ready to die or risk getting killed to get elected to political offices. Many have sold their souls to the devil while rituals and oath taking are part of the game.
With the lucre of office and so much ‘free money’ in the system, many politicians across the country are now introducing their children into politics to continue the looting of the nation’s treasury where they stopped. The perks for political offices in Nigeria, described as one of the highest in the world despite the country’s ailing economy and rising debt profile, explains why many politicians find it difficult to survive life outside public office.
In fact, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives admitted that after more than 10 years since he left the Green Chamber, he has been looking for what to do and has not succeeded in making the kind of money he made in office in just four years.
Since the return to democratic rule in 1999, the number of top politicians who have introduced their sons and daughters into partisan politics has been on the rise and the trend appears set to continue as we march towards the 2027 general elections.
While it should be pointed out that there is nothing wrong with children of politicians seeking political office, once they are qualified, the draw back is that their big wig parents muzzle others out of the way in order to create space for their children to flourish.
In Lagos State, precisely, Agege local government area, the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, did all within his power to have his son, Abdulganiyu Obasa, installed as the next chairman of the local council. Although the young man is qualified to run for office as he boasts of both first and second degrees, he lacks the requisite experience for such an office.
With the support of his father, he was endorsed by all the stakeholders in the local government until there was instruction from Abuja that the young man should not be allowed to contest. He was subsequently not screened for the position by the APC screening committee.
READ ALSO: Anambra: Police smash kidnap gang, recover three vehicles
Tajudeen Olusi, who is the chairman of the state Governors’ Advisory Council (GAC) is not happy that three top politicians in the state positioned their children for elective office at the local level, which he described as strange as that was not the practice in the 60s and 70s.
But Olusi should also be reminded that he also positioned his son, Toyosi Olusi for elective office as he was elected council chairman in the Lagos Island Local government.
The rumour mill is yet to die down from speculations too, that the son of President Bola Tinubu, Seyi Tinubu, is also eyeing the Lagos State Governor’s seat at Alausa. The rumour, which has been on for quite sometime now, has neither been confirmed nor denied by Seyi Tinubu nor the Presidency.
During the 2023 general elections, many children of top politicians picked up the gauntlet to contest for office with the active support of their parents. Amongst them are Bello El-rufai, son of former governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-rufai and Adam, the son of ex-governor of the state and former vice president, Namadi Sambo. Both contested to represent Kaduna North Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives. While Bello won the ticket of the APC and eventually the main election, Adam lost the PDP ticket to a serving member, Samaila Suleiman. But the young man was taught a bitter lesson in politics as he demanded a refund of the N2 million he used to lobby each of the 37 delegates of the party. Despite dolling out millions to the delegates, he ended up with only two votes.
As we march towards the 2027 general elections, it is clear that many children of top politicians would take after the footsteps of their parents. However, many of them have little or nothing to offer the nation if how they get there is premised in god-fatherism rather than the true passion and political will to make positive changes in the lives of Nigerians.
In Jigawa State, Mustapha, the son of former governor Sule Lamido was the governorship candidate of the PDP. Unfortunately, he lost to the incumbent governor, Umar Namadi. In Delta state, three former governors positioned their daughters for elective offices in the state. Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu, daughter of former governor, James Ibori won the PDP ticket for Ethiope Federal Constituency and she is now in the House of Representatives. Similarly, Marilyn Okowa-Daramola, daughter of former Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, was elected unopposed to pick the PDP ticket for Ika North East seat in the House of Assembly. Also, the daughter of former governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, Orode, lost her bid to clinch the PDP ticket for Warri North in the House of Assembly.
In Ogun State, Olumide, the son of a former governor of the state, Chief Olusegun Osoba, is currently the member representing Abeokuta North/Odeda/Obafemi Owode Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives. Also, in 2023, Rasheed, the son of the late Ogun State senator, Buruji Kashamu, secured the PDP ticket to contest the Ijebu North Constituency I in the state House of Assembly but lost the main election to APC candidate. Iyabo Obasanjo, daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo was also elected as a senator to represent Ogun Central.
In Oyo State, the sons of three former governors of the state emerged as candidates in the 2023 elections. First, Idris, the son of late Senator Abiola Ajimobi, who was the governor between 2011 and 2019, won the APC ticket for the Ibadan South-West II seat in the state House of Assembly. Similarly, Adedapo, the son of the late Lam-Adesina, who was the governor between 1999 and 2003, is a former member of the House of Representatives in the eighth Assembly. Having served as the commissioner for youths and sport in the state.
Also, Olamijuwonlo, the son of the late Adebayo Alao-Akala, once served as the chairman of Ogbomoso North Local Government Area. In 2019, his father described his reported removal by councillors as a joke. In Sokoto State, Sagir, the son of former governor Attahiru Bafarawa, was in the race to become the governor on the PDP platform but lost to Sa’idu Umar. Another classic example is the attempt by Ahmadu, the son of a former governor of the state, Adamu Muazu, to be the governorship candidate of the PDP. He however lost to Ibrahim Kashim, an ally of the governor. Mu’azu was the governor of the state between 1999 and 2007. Adamawa State is also not spared of politicians’ moves to ensure their family members have a direct shot at top political offices. Former governor Murtala Nyako, who was impeached in 2014 by the state House of Assembly, had one his sons, Abdul-Aziz, in the Senate between 2015 and 2019, before he defected to the African Democratic Congress to contest the governorship seat, an election he lost to incumbent, Ahmadu Fintiri of the PDP. Similarly, in the state, the children of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, have, on different occasions, been appointed as commissioners in the state.
In Yobe State, the dynasty of former governor and senator, Bukar Abba Ibrahim, is probably second to none. Some would even describe it as a semblance of ‘state capture’ by the family. Ibrahim, who was the governor between 1999 and 2007, had his three wives as cabinet members while in office and after his tenure, he became a senator, while one of his wives, Khadija, won a seat at the House of Representatives, where she spent three terms. In 2016, she was appointed the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs by the then President Muhammadu Buhari. Desirous of going back to the lower chamber of the National Assembly in 2019, she defeated her step son at the primary to go back to the House.
We could go on and on. What is clear is that many top politicians have captured their states and are positioning their sons and daughters for power. Again, it should be pointed out that there is nothing wrong with children of politicians contesting for political office once the people find them worthy of being elected. It is also practised in many developed worlds. We have the Bush family in the US that have produced Presidents, Governors and others. We have the Gandhi family in India as an example. In Bangladesh, the father of the current Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, was also a Prime Minister.
However, the Chairman of the Transition Monitoring Group and Executive Director, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Auwal Musa Rafsajani, said that the political class had been deliberate in excluding average Nigerians from the political process so as to preserve plum positions for themselves and their family members. He cited the exorbitant fees that the foremost political parties charge for nomination and expression of interest forms as an example of how they exclude other willing and competent Nigerians people from the contest.
Another political scientist, Professor Kamilu Sani Fage said that as far as democracy was concerned, everyone had a right to contest, but that the happenings in Nigerian politics showed that the system was going towards oligarchy. He noted that the system in vogue was that whenever politicians were elected, they tried to bring their children into leadership positions or impose them on people, which he said was undemocratic and dangerous.
As we march towards the 2027 general elections, it is clear that many children of top politicians would take after the footsteps of their parents. However, many of them have little or nothing to offer the nation if how they get there is premised in god-fatherism rather than the true passion and political will to make positive changes in the lives of Nigerians. The nation cannot continue to falter at the expense of inexperienced leaders parading the corridors of power while poverty has been weaponised against the people. The current situation where many cannot afford to buy the forms of any of the leading political parties talk less of raising huge expenses for campaigns is totally unacceptable and debilitating of our political structure.
With politics regarded as a dirty game in Nigeria, many first-class brains and administrators have are discouraged from the process, leaving the field for thugs and political jobbers. We can only pray that God will save Nigeria.
See you next week.
