The recent foiled attempt by members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who are the appendages of former governor of the state and the current Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to impeach the sitting governor of the state, Simi Fubara, has resuscitated the menace of godfatherism in Nigerian politics, write NICK NWAFOR and BRIGHT JACOB
Monday, October 30, 2023 would remain in the political annals of Rivers State as the day the godfather of Rivers politics, former governor and current Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, lost the grip on the political soul of the state for the past decades.
The political fall of the FCT Minister, according to political pundits, is in the offing with what they described as a greedy grip of the fiscal operations of the state.
According to them, Wike allegedly demanded for the 25 per cent of the palliative distributed to the state because of the removal of the fuel subsidy by the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
The demand of Wike was said to have been questioned by the sitting governor, Simi Fubara, and the hell was let loose by the supporters of Wike in his government who formed the bulk of the personnel working for the state.
It was gathered that 95 per cent of the commissioners working with Governor Fubara were nominated by his predecessor in the office.
It did not stop there, his Chief of Staff, Chidi Amadi, was appointed by Wike and most of the principal officers were the sidekicks of Wike.
All these appointees were said to be loyal to Wike instead of the governor thereby reducing the governor to title of an Executive Personal Assistant to Wike.
An informed source told The Point that all the local government council chairmen in the state are at the beck and call of the former governor thereby making them to disobey any order coming from the governor except directives from their political benefactor, the former governor of the state who had sworn according to trusted grapevine that he is ready to give bloody nose to his successor if he does not want to dance to his tune in way and manner of governing the state.
“Sources revealed that since Fubara took oath of office he was expressly warned by his predecessor not to travel outside the state, and on no account should he attend a meeting of People’s Democratic Party Governors’ Forum”
Sources revealed that since Fubara took oath of office he was expressly warned by his predecessor not to travel outside the state, and on no account should he attend a meeting of People’s Democratic Party Governors’ Forum.
Governor Fubara is said to be a good boy in carrying the order of his predecessor to the letter until he got the wind that plans were afoot that he would be impeached at the prodding of the man he has been respecting and obeying.
His patience snapped, and he decided to fight for his political life, first to dislocate Wike’s loyalists in the state’s House of Assembly and cut them to political seize. Secondly to make sure that he rein all the commissioners forced on him by Wike or be shown the door, Fubara was said to have his Man Friday in the Majority Leader of the House, Ehi Edison, who was doing everything politically possible to make sure that Fubara was not impeached irrespective of where the order was coming from.
On Monday when the 24 members of the state’s House of Assembly wanted to assert the authority by serving an impeachment notice on the embattled governor, they first went for the political jugular of Ehi, and suspended him but the governor reacted swiftly by personally going to the House of Assembly despite all the odds put by the security operatives to stop him from entering the Assembly complex.
He installed his man, Ehi as the new Speaker of the House with eight members of the house who are loyal to him.
With the deed done, he jetted out of the state to attend the meeting of the PDP in Abuja against the instruction of his predecessor in the office.
An informed source told The Point that Fubara despite attending the reconciliatory meeting said to have been brokered by President Tinubu, the governor was bent on saying enough is enough on the firm grip of his predecessor on the governance of the state even when he is no longer the governor of the state.
A source said that what happened at the state House of Assembly and solidarity shown the governor by the residents of the state was an eye opener that liberation of the state from the hands of one man is absolutely possible, and he is not going back in making sure that the political powers of his predecessor in the state is whittled down.
Sources said that the same fate meted to former governors of the state; Dr. Peter Odili and Rotimi Amaechi awaits Wike because during his tenure as the governor of the state, Wike made sure that Amaechi was declared a persona non grata for meddling in the governance of the state even when Amaechi was his predecessor in the office.
In days to come, it was gathered that Fubara might begin to curry the favour of Amaechi and some political big shots in the state that hitherto had fallen out with Wike.
Information has it that some of the foot soldiers of Fubara are already reaching out to aggrieved parties in the PDP from the state because of Wike to come back and enjoy full respect from the brand new governor of the state, adding that it is not going to be business as usual.
Investigation by The Point revealed that the decision of Fubara to reverse some of the decisions taken by Wike when he was governor appear to have got the goat of the latter, the reason for the political onslaught against his hitherto political sidekick.
It was gathered that a farm company that would have provided employment to the teeming youths in the state was abandoned by the Wike administration but Fubara said that the farm is viable therefore he is going to resuscitate it to serve as a source of employment to youths in the state thereby reducing the unemployment index in the state which is currently put at 50 per cent. According to the Governor, the value chain of the company would impact positively on the poverty level in the state.
Wike was said to have queried his successor on the move, insisting that such a move was an affront on his integrity as the former governor and must be resisted by every political means possible.
It was learnt that was the reason for the ongoing impeachment process which has been promptly resisted by the sitting governor by dislocating members of the Rivers’ State House of Assembly who are loyal to his predecessor.
Facts checked by The Point revealed that when governors on the platform of the opposition went to meet Wike to chart way to resolve the matter, the FCT Minister told his guests that nobody will take over his political structures in the state and that the impeachment process against his successor has not be precluded, insisting that impeachment is still within the rule of law in democracy, therefore, nobody should demonize the House members who are pushing for the impeachment of the governor.
The scenario playing out in Rivers State is a testament to the fact that godfatherism has been the bane of democracy since 1999 till date.
It has happened in Enugu State between Jim Nwobodo and former governor of the state, Chimaroke Nnamani, Governors Nnamani and Sullivan Chime and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi all had their fair share of the menace of godfatherism.
The same scenario which played out in Edo State between Godwin Obaseki and former governor of the state, Adams Oshiomhole left soured taste in the mouth of the latter because the former did not only oust the political structure of his predecessor but supplanted his political structure in the state.
Whatever is the case, what played in the above mentioned states is about repeating itself in Rivers State because the bold steps of the sitting governor of the state is a proof that the end is in the offing for Wike.
Pestilence of godfatherism
The Human Rights Watch in a report titled ‘Corruption, Godfatherism and the Funding of Political Violence,’ observed that “godfathers are not mere financiers of political campaigns; rather (they) are individuals whose power stems not just from wealth but from their ability to manipulate national, state or local political systems in support of the politicians they sponsor.”
The report added that “in return, they demand a substantial degree of control over the governments they help bring into being.”
Nigeria’s Fourth Republic which started in 1999 has produced a number of notable political godfathers who have been shaping governance and politics within their spectra of influence, especially at the national and state levels.
The current president, Bola Tinubu, is considered as one of the most prominent political icons in the country since his stewardship as governor of Lagos State in 2007, which led him to becoming a political godfather not only in Lagos but also in the South West and even in Nigeria’s political space.
Some prominent political godfathers include former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari, former Chief of Army Staff and Minister of Defence, Gen. T.Y Danjuma, former Minister of Information in the First Republic, Chief Edwin Clark, Chief Chris Uba in Anambra State, Chief Tony Anenih popularly known as “Mr. Fix It”, former governor of Delta State, Chief James Onanefe Ibori, and a former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Musa Kwankwanso.
In the 2023 general elections, the country witnessed the emergence of a new set of ex-governors who are considered as godfathers in their various states, due to the level of influence they command either for their ability to endorse their candidates who eventually won the governorship seats, or due to their overall history of political prowess.
Nasiru El-Rufai: Kaduna
In his inaugural speech, the new governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani promised to consolidate the achievements of his predecessor, Malam Nasiru Ahmad El-Rufai. He later announced the renaming of the most popular street in Kaduna metropolis, Rabah Road, after the former governor.
About a year before Sani won the governorship election, El-Rufai, while approaching the end of his second tenure as governor of the state, had made clear his intention to install Senator Uba Sani (who had once served as his aide) to be his successor.
He also revealed that he had given Sani exclusive access to the state cabinet meetings “to keep him abreast of all government plans and policies.”
Among his earliest appointments upon assumption of office, Governor Sani announced the retention of some senior government officials who had served in El-Rufai’s administration including the immediate past Secretary to the State Government “to provide the link between the two administrations.”
Nyesom Wike: Rivers State
Speaking during his first speech as the new governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara assured residents of his resolve to continue in the leadership style of his predecessor, Nyesom Wike and build on his achievements.
“We will follow his footsteps to balance consolidation and continuity. We will consolidate the developmental strides of the previous administration,” he stated.
Also in May, Wike told Fubara that he would not “disturb” his government, adding that he would guide him to ensure that he doesn’t disappoint the people of Rivers State.
“We will not disturb you from running your administration, but we will not allow you to make us cry. We want you to succeed more than us so that when we are passing on the road, we will raise our shoulders and say we told you that he would do better than us,” Wike said.
Fubara, a former Accountant-General of Rivers State and member of the People’s Democratic Party, has many times described Wike as his political mentor.
Speaking at a special thanksgiving service in Port Harcourt in May, the new governor said that he would not allow anything to strain his relationship with his predecessor, Wike.
“In governance, you can’t please everybody, but you must do your best to dispense good governance to the people. The former governor (Wike) performed exceedingly well and we are going to build on his legacy,” he said.
Also commenting over speculations that Wike would defect to the All Progressives Congress, Fubara, during a thanksgiving reception in Rivers in honour of his predecessor, called on the former governor not to distance himself from him even if he defected to the ruling APC.
He said, “While we are seeing signs that it’s like you want to go over to the other side with everybody wishing that, please don’t be too far from me because I know that the sharks, the tigers are really around looking for what to hurt.”
“In days to come, it was gathered that Fubara might begin to curry the favour of Amaechi and some political big shots in the state that hitherto had fallen out with Wike”
Ifeanyi Okowa: Delta State
The new Governor of Delta State, Sheriff Oborevwori during his inauguration pledged to build on the legacy of the out-gone Governor of the State, Ifeanyi Okowa.
Oborevwori also recently gave approval for naming of the Old Lagos-Asaba Road after the immediate ex-governor.
Oborevwori who was a two-term Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly had emerged as the new governor of Delta State after a fierce battle for the state’s governorship tore major political actors of the People’s Democratic Party apart.
Former Governor James Ibori, who is known all over as the national leader of the party in Delta, fell apart with Okowa who stood firmly behind the current governor, Sheriff Oborevwori.
While Chief James Ibori preferred Olorogun David Edevbie to succeed Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa had his eyes fixed on Oborevwori as his chosen successor.
Oborevwori won convincingly in the entire nine local government areas of Delta North and eight LGAs of Delta South.
Ifeanyi Okowa is now considered the new political godfather in the state, alongside Chief James Ibori who has been holding sway for about 24 years.
Atiku Bagudu: Kebbi State
Abubakar Atiku Bagudu is the immediate past governor of Kebbi State who served two terms between 2015 and 2023.
Previously, he had served as the Senator for the Kebbi Central Senatorial District. Bagudu succeeded former governor Adamu Aliero when he won the by-election for the Kebbi Central Senatorial seat following Aliero’s appointment to become the Minister for the FCT.
He contested and won the ticket for the All Progressives Congress for the 2023 Kebbi Central Senatorial election which he eventually lost to the former governor and incumbent Senator Aliero of the People’s Democratic Party.
However, the current governor of the state, Nasir Idris of the APC was backed by Bagudu during the 2023 governorship election.
Given the political prowess of Bagudu in Kebbi State politics, he is now considered as the newest political godfather in the state.
Bagudu is the current Minister of Economic Planning and Budget.
