Battle of political godfathers, godsons holds Nigerians by the jugular

The recent political crisis in Rivers State that almost swept off Governor Siminalayi Fubara has been attributed by many to the handiwork of his former boss and political mentor, Nyesom Wike, who, though the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, still wants to be the controlling force in Rivers.

Fubara narrowly escaped the impeachment bullet from lawmakers said to be loyal to Wike barely five months after his predecessor had moved heaven and earth to install him as his successor.

Sources say the fight between ‘father and son’ cropped up when Fubara decided to be his own man and refused to kow-tow to the whims and caprises of his godfather.

The political saga was also given more fuel when Wike, while hosting elders of the state in Abuja, made it clear that he was not willing to let go of his political base because doing so would mean becoming politically irrelevant.

Political fights and broken relationships between so-called political godfathers and their godsons have become so common place in Nigeria that it has almost, always become the expected outcomes of any political alliance.

Indeed, such fallout and conflicts have become so well documented in every part of the country it has become a recurring decimal in Nigeria’s political history where godfathers and their successors oftenend up becoming arch enemies.

In a country where it is so difficult for an aspiring politician to climb to the top, it makes a lot of sense to have a mentor, someone to look up to, but the snag is that these mentors do end up as godfathers and once they leave office, would do everything possible to install their stooge which would be an extension of their reign.

This has been the unwritten script that has continued to play out in the country’s political setup since the advent of democratic rule in Nigeria.

It has become commonplace to see sitting governors engage in a serious battle with their predecessors who must have played a key role in their emergence because of one disagreement or the other.

The drama in Rivers State did not start with Wike and Fubara as the FCT Minister himself had also had a running battle with his godfather and former boss, Rotimi Amaechi but like a cat with nine lives, managed to survive the onslaught Amaechi had unleashed on him.

In most states across the country, fights, fallout, disagreements and enmity between political godfathers and their godsons have been so common place and reads like a bibliography for famous rifts between erstwhile best friends.

Many of these conflagrations are basically for control of state resources, rather than providing citizens with good governance. While the fights go on, governance usually takes a back seat and the citizens are left to bear the outcomes.

Let’s take a look at some of these fallout between godfathers and their godsons.

Bola Tinubu vs Akinwumi Ambode

When incumbent President Bola Tinubu was the governor of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007, he had godsons he was grooming to take over from him and after his two terms in office, Babatunde Fashola was ushered in while his successor, Akinwumi Ambode, was being groomed.

After completing his own two tenures, Fashola handed over to Ambode which was also in line with the Tinubu school of politics which had become a formidable force to determine who takes what political position in the state.

But along the line, Ambode attempted to be his own man and do things his own way without recourse to his godfather.

Many tried to get him to retrace his steps but Ambode stood his grounds and stuck to his guns.

But that became his albatross as he got into serious trouble with Tinubu who pulled all the stunts in his political books and in the 2019 governorship election, made sure Ambode did not only lose the primaries to current Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, but has also become almost politically irrelevant in the state.

Adams Oshiomole and Godwin Obaseki

When Adams Oshiomole was the governor of Edo State, he was said to have groomed current Governor Godwin Obaseki to take over from him.

Obaseki was one of the most important members of Oshiomhole’s government but like others before them, the two soon had a disagreement which led to Obaseki decamping to the Peoples Democratic Party after his first tenure after he was disqualified from participating in the APC primaries for a second term in office.

Rumours had it then that Oshiomhole was instrumental to Obaseki’s disqualification and he did not hide it with his open support for Osagie Ize-Iyamu, who had earlier contested agains him, but eventually lost at the poll to Obaseki.

Rabiu Kwankwaso and Abdullahi Ganduje

The most intriguing political fallout between a godfather and his godson can be said to be that of former Kano State Governor, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, and his successor, Abdullahi Ganduje.

When the going was good, the two ate from the same plate and were like siamese twins.

They were so good together that Ganduje was twice deputy to Kwankwaso from 1999 to 2003 and 2011 to 2015.

When Kwankwako was Minister of Defence, Ganduje was also one of his closest aides and special adviser.

But that bond broke down irretrievably immediately Ganduje assumed office as governor in 2015 and reportedly sent his list of commissioners to the state House of Assembly for confirmation. It was said that Ganduje had expunged 90% of names sent to him by Kwankwaso which marked the genesis of their disagreement.

Their fight has also gone on beyond the state with Kwankwaso leaving the APC to the NNPP where he contested the presidency in the 2023 election.

The fight has also transformed into a full blown political rivalry that pitted Kwankwaso’s anointed governorship candidate, Abba Yusuf, against Ganduje in the 2019 governorship election which Ganduje later won.

But in 2023, the two had another rematch with Kwankwaso backing Abba Yusuf again while Ganduje supported Nasir Gawuna, but this time, Kwankwaso came out victorious after INEC declared Yusuf winner, but Ganduje was to have the last laugh after a tribunal sacked Yusuf in controversial circumstances, with many pointing fingers at Ganduje who is now the National Chairman of the APC.
Yusuf however appealed the ruling. The case was yet to be decided as at the time of this report.

Lamidi Adedibu and Rasheed Ladoja

Before he was impeached on 12 January 2006 as Oyo State Governor, Rasheed Ladoja rode to the seat of power on the wings of the late strongman of Ibadan politics, Lamidi Adedibu.

But as often witnessed in Nigeria’s political scene, the two soon fell apart when Ladoja decided to cut off Adedibu from certain privileges that past governors had been giving him.

Several years after the death of Adedibu, Ladoja revealed in an interview that his travails began in 2005 when his political godfather demanded that the security votes for the state should be handed over to him.

READ ALSO:OPINION: Is Buhari a reluctant political godfather?

He added that following his refusal to hand over the state security votes to Adedibu, the godfather organised some members of the State House of Assembly to impeach him.

“The group that called for my impeachment was led by the late Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu. The politician believed he had a right to security votes because he was securing the state but I thought otherwise,” he said.

“It was a running battle until I later found out that the Presidency was involved. Some members of the state House of Assembly were promised a lot of things by Adedibu. I later got to know that my deputy was also involved in the plot to remove me.”

Ladoja said following his removal from office, one of his aides, Chief Adewale Atanda, advised him to leave the state to avoid a threat to his life and he left for Lagos.

Attahiru Bafarawa and Aliyu Wamako

Before their political rivalry, former Sokoto State Governor, Attahiru Bafarawa, had such an enviable relationship with his political godson, Aliyu Wamako.

While Bafarawa was governor, Wamako was his deputy and they had a close political affinity that many thought would not be broken easily.

At the end of his tenure, Bafarawa moved the earth to install Wamako as his successor hoping to continue his reign on the sidelines but a few months after taking over, Wamako decided to do things his own way which culminated into a rivalry.

Wamakko’s disagreement with his boss culminated in the attempt by the 30 members of the state House of Assembly to impeach him with many believing Bafarawa was the hand behind the plot.

The rivalry between the two became so pronounced that Bafarawa who was the state governor on the platform of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), had to defect to the PDP.

Even in the PDP, Bafarawa had no peace as Wamako still haunted him with some key allies in the opposition party. Bafarawa was again forced to leave the PDP to form the Democratic Peoples’ Party (DPP).

The rivalry between the two politicians has still not waned as they continue to battle for the soul of the state. While Wamakko is the leader of the APC in Sokoto, Bafarawa is the power behind Aminu Tambuwal.

George Akume and Samuel Ortom

The same political disagreement played out in Benue State when then governor, Samuel Ortom, fell out with his godfather, George Akume who was the Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs. When Akume was governor, he pulled every stunt to make Ortom his successor but like it often plays out when a godson decides to be his own man, the two got into a messy fight with their relationship becoming sour.

It got so bad that Ortom accused Akume of fritterring away the state resources as a governor and challenged him to list the achievements he recorded since 1999 as governor, Senator and Minister.

Ortom specifically asked Akume to enumerate his projects as a two-term governor; his achievements as a three-time Senator representing Benue North West Senatorial District, as well as the projects he had attracted to the state as a minister.

“This is someone who has benefited tremendously from the goodwill of Benue people who voted him for two terms as governor, three terms as senator, and now he is a minister representing the state. Sadly, all that our people have got in return from him are insults and baseless accusations,” Ortom stated in an interview in response to Akume’s allegations against him at a function.

“Let him show Benue people just one bill that he sponsored or even a single motion that he moved during his 12 years in the Senate. All that our people have received as reward for their support of Akume in 23 years are accusations and blackmail. He has sold his conscience to enemies of the state for a pot of porridge”, the governor stressed.

Danjuma Goje and Ibrahim Dankwambo

In Gombe State, then Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo practically installed Danjuma Goje as his successor with the aim of continuing his political dynasty but as soon as Goje settled down in office, he shredded all forms of loyalty to his godfather and it led to a fall out between the two.

The political differences between them was so bad that Goje had to exit the Peoples Democratic Party to join the then opposition All Progressives Congress and till now, the relationship between them has been fractious as they do not see eye to eye.

Ali-Modu Sheriff and Kashim Shettima

When Ali Modu-Sheriff was the governor of Borno State, he groomed incumbent Vice President, Kashim Shettima to take over from him and succeeded in installing Shettima as governor when he had served out his two terms.

But along the line, the godfather/godson relationship between them went south and they had a major disagreement shortly after Sheriff had successfully handed over to Shettima .

The disagreement was so bitter that Shettima ‘chased’ Sheriff away from the APC to the PDP where he later became the National Chairman before he was removed.

Rumours had it that his unceremonious removal as PDP chairman had the imprint of Shettima as well.

Orji Uzor Kalu and Theodore Orji

The same godfather/godson fight also played out in Abia State between former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu and his political godson, Theodore Orji after Kalu had handed over to his anointed candidate.

The fight was so messy that Kalu had to abandon Abia and fled the state after Orji unleashed his security details on his former boss in the name of probing his administration. Back then, it was said that the fear of Orji was the beginning of wisdom for Kalu as the then governor even molested Kalu’s family including his aged mother.

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