Isaac Shobayo writes on the waning influence of political godfathers in the North-Central political zone, submitting that a younger generation of leaders in the various states in the zone seemed to be currently holding the ace in terms of governance.The term, godfather, which is now synonymouswith Nigeria politics, became popular, with thefilm, 'The Godfather', directed by Francis Ford Coppola. This was based on the novella by Mario Puzo with Marlon Brando as the main character. The film depicted the attempt by a Sicilian family to maintain its control of drug ring and racketeering in New York. The film, no doubt, added to Nigeria's political lexicon the word godfather, which refers to those who determine the political direction of their respective states and also who determine who get nominated to contest an election and who wins. In other words, these godfathers could also be referred to as political kingmakers.It is becoming difficult in Nigeria today to make a foray into politics with the intention of contesting election without the backing of these godfathers. In the North-Central geopolitical zone, many of them have been dominating the political scene and thus become an institution that cannot be wished away. But based on the recent elections conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the influence of the old ones is said to be gradually eroded, as the young minds in government appear to have taken over the polity.Within the geopolitical zone, the likes of Dr Olusola Saraki, Chief Solomon Lar, Chief Barnabas Gemade, Chief Audu Ogbeh, Prince Abubakar Audu and host of others, who have been in the fore front and playing active politics in their respective states, are gradually being retired.Plateau StateIn Plateau State, politics, at the inception of this dispensation in 1999 revolved around Chief Solomon Lar who was the pioneer national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). As the national chairman then, his sphere of influence transcends Plateau State. He basically determined the political direction, as well as who gets what in the state.From all indications, he was instrumental to the nomination of former Governor Joshua Dariye as the governor of the state in 1999, while the likes of Honourable Damishi Sango and others were ministers at his discretion. His houses in Jos and Abuja were beehives of activities, especially those seeking political appointments and other patronages.However, due to old age, the elder statesman, in some quarters, is gradually fizzling out of the state politics. During his tenure as the governor, Dariye, to some extent, control political situation on the Plateau but the emergence of Senator Ibrahim Mantu, then the deputy Senate President, dwarfed his influence, leading to battle of supremacy between the duo. Senator Mantu used his connection at the top, especially his relationship with former President Olusegun Obasanjo to pull the rug off the feet of Dariye, thus becoming the de facto governor of the state and rallying point of Plateau politics.At a point in time, many members of the state House of Assembly were under Mantu's control and he determined who got what at the federal level. Though the present governor of the state was not his choice in the 2007 primary election of the PDP, many have insisted that he paved the way for the governor by destabilising Dariye, and consequently chased him out of the PDP in order to have full control of the PDP structure in the state.On assumption of office in 2007, Governor Jang's attempts to be independent and have his own structure led to stiff opposition from the godfathers like Mantu, Chief Lar, Ambassador Fedelis Tapgun and Honourable Sango, leading to the fictionalisation of the PDP in the state. The struggle was further worsened towards the tail end of his first term, when his deputy, Mrs. Pauline Tallen, teamed up with the opposition against his boss and consequently ran against him at the polls.But at the end, the governor was able to wrest the structure of the PDP from his opponents, forcing the majority of them to defect to the Labour Party (LP) and eventually defeated their candidate at the polls. From all indications, Governor Jang has become a new political leader and as well assumed the godfather of Plateau politics. It was gathered that he was able to use his influence to overcome the opposition within the PDP. The governor, no doubt, is in full control and holds the ace in the state.Kwara StateIt would be incomplete to discuss the politics of Kwara State without a recourse to the Saraki dynasty, especially Dr Olusola Saraki, who bestrode the political landscape of the state like a colossus. For more than three decades, the elder stateman has been at the helm of affairs of Kwara politics; he has contributed immensely to the political evolution of the state and virtually installed those who had governed the state in the past thirty years.Dr Saraki was instrumental to the installation of Alhaji Adamu Attah, an indigene of Ebira land, to be the governor of larger Kwara State on the platform of the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN) as the first civilian governor of the state. Towards the end of Attah's tenure in 1983, the relationship between him and Saraki suddenly nosedived, forcing the latter to give tactical support to Chief Cornelius Adebayo of the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) and was consequently voted to power.It would be recalled also that Alhaji Shaba Lafiagi of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) was also elected governor of the state, with the support of Dr Saraki, from January 1992 to November 1993. Under this dispensation, Saraki, as the All People's Party (APP) stalwart, ensured the total victory of the late Alhaji Mohammed Lawal at the poll to be the governor of the state.Attempts by Lafiagi to assert his right and extricate himself from the apron strings of the strongman of Kwara politics, said to be his godfather, led to a face-off between them. In a demonstration of his political prowess, Saraki, though a card-carrying member of the APP then, presented his son, Bukola Saraki, for the gubernatorial ticket of the state in 2003 on the platform of the PDP. He defeated the incumbent Mohammed Lawal and with his father's active support, the son ran the affairs of the state for two consecutive terms.Former Governor Bukola Saraki enjoyed uninterrupted eight years tenure and, in fact, chaired the Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF). These, coupled with his achievements as the governor, positioned him as an apparent heir to the Saraki dynasty. It was gathered that it was this that gave him the audacity to challenge and squared it up with his father over the 2011 gubernatorial election when the latter presented Senator Gbemisola Saraki, Bukola's sister. The son was said to have vehemently kicked against it, leading to Gbemisola to run on a different ticket.Many have said that Bukola, now a senator, has taken over from the father, and thus has become the kingmaker in Kwara politics. Nigerian Tribune findings revealed that he holds the ace as far as the state politics is concerned, as most of the members of the state House of Assembly are still his cronies, while the crop of the present commissioners in the state are his loyalists.Though some political analysts posited that the influence of Senator Saraki in Kwara politics is temporary, saying that he lacks the sagacity to bestrode the political landscape like his father for a long time, the Kwara senator seemed to be in charged now. There is no doubt that the politics of Kwara State is weaved around the father, son and daughter. But from the recent political development in the state, Bukola Saraki appears to have retired his father from active politics.Benue StateBenue State could be regarded as one of the hotbeds of the country's politics, considering the array of political juggernauts on the prowl, scheming to outwit one another in the political chess game of the state. It is a state of the likes of Chief Audu Ogbeh and Chief Barnabas Gemade, both who were once national chairmen of the ruling PDP government as the centre. Others are the Senate President David Mark, General Lawrence Onoja, former Governor George Akume, Professor Daniel Saror and the incumbent governor, Gabriel Suswan, among others.The politics of the state revolved around the likes of Ogbeh and Gemade in the past as national chairmen. Also, former Governor Akume, at a point, had a full grip of the structure of the party in the state and, as well, determined its political direction. This gave credence to why he imposed Suswam in the 2007 gubernatorial race.In the build up to the election, Akume was regarded as one of the political godfathers of Benue politics. After installing Suswan in 2007, what could be regarded as irreconcilable differences ensued between the duo. Akume then cited betrayal as the cause of the problem between them. But today, Governor Suswam has allegedly chased Akume out of the PDP, while the latter is battling to ensure that his new party, the ACN, takes control of the state.During the last April elections, the two were on each other throats, trying to prove their political relevance in the state. Suswam, with the tactical support of the Senate President, David Mark, moved against Senator Akume, who had to abandon the PDP for the ACN to re-contest and won his Senate seat.Akume, as an ACN stalwart, along with other political heavy weights in the state, equally threw their weight behind the candidate of the party, General Onoja, to uproot Suswan and make him irrelevant from the political equation of the state. But Onoja eventually lost to Suswan, with the duo still in court over the outcome of the election. Though Akume won his second term bid into the Senate, the fact still remains that Akume, as the godfather of Benue politics, has lost strength in controlling the mainstream politics in the state.In many quarters, the politics of the state is under the full grip of the governor and the Senate President; the two determined who gets what in terms of political patronage, with the old political actors in the state gradually taking the back seats.Nasarawa StateThe first civilian was governor of Benue State, Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu, could be described as the Lord of Manor, considering his domination of Nasarawa State politics during his eight-year reign as the governor of the state. He was the pioneer chairman of the NGF and was known to be a close confidant of former President Obasanjo. He called the shot and silenced oppositions, both within and outside the PDP.The only person who could have checkmated the alleged dictatorial posture of Adamu then was Senator Haruna Abubakar, who died while serving his first term at the Senate. However, in his absence, nobody could summon courage to challenge Adamu's actions and inactions while in government. While in power, it was either you played along with him or get out of the way.Through out his eight years in the saddle, Adamu, now a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, was in full control. His views as regards the national politics was an authority, despite being a governor. After the eight years, he successfully installed the now ousted Alhaji Akwe Doma who, at a point, fell apart with him but later reconciled.Shortly after his tenure, Adamu was made secretary of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), but his tenure was short-lived as a result of his travail in the hands of the Economic and Finacial Crime Commission (EFCC). This seems to have slowed him down politically, while Doma is now also having a running battle with the anti-graft agency.Right now, the politics of the state has no definite direction, as the once PDP controlled state is now in control of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), led by Governor Alhaji Tanko Al'Makura, who was once a PDP stalwart in the state. The governor is yet to come to term with the PDP-dominated state House of Assembly which has now become a torn in his flesh.Reports have it that most of the political godfathers in the state are now watching from the sidelines, as far as the politics of the state is concerned. The current Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku, seems to be the only man standing and the rallying point in the state.Niger StateThe politics of the state revolves around two principal actors, the former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida and the former head of state, General Abdusalami Abubakar. Though there are other political gladiators in the state, the two stands out, both at the state and national levels.Former Governor Abdulkadir Abdulahi Kure, who governed the state from 1999 to 2007, was a team player who had a bearing influence over all aspect of governance. And despite stiff opposition from some blocs within Niger State, he was able to run the affairs of the state without distraction. It was learnt that he was instrumental to the emergence of Dr Babangida Aliyu, otherwise refers to as Chief Servant, though there are other schools of thought which ascribed his emergence to former President Obasanjo.With the influence of Babangida and Abdulsalami, the Governor Aliyu, who is also the chairman of NGF, has proved to some extent, that he is in full control of the state politics and holds both the yam and knife. A writer once described him as a small Israel surrounded by enemies and also capable of handling the enemies despite his size.The way and manner he emerged as the standard-bearer of the PDP for the second term and eventually won the election, with the political heavyweight who initially showed interest in the race, depicted his political sagacity and understanding of the state politics. Though the state parades quite a number of kingmakers or political godfathers, the governor seems to be the man of the moment.Kogi StateKogi is a complex state with many parts, as far as politics is concerned. The direction at times could be cloudy. Most of the godfathers, such as Dr Abdulazeez Farouk, General Tunde Ogbeha, Alhaji Adamu Attah, General David Jemibewon, are gradually fizzling out of the political equation of the state. At a point in time, the influence of the likes of the late Chief Sunday Awoniyi could be felt at every angle of the state and at the national level.It was gathered that who called the shots, indeed, depended on the man at the helm of affairs of the state. When Chief Abubakar Audu was in power as the governor of the state, the politics revolved around him and he set the ball rolling in the state. But the moment he was swept away by the PDP in 2003 and the outgoing governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, emerged as the governor, the political equation changed and Idris automatically took over the reins of power. Because of the complexity of the state, it is difficult to have a godfather whose influence would permeate the entire state. But as Idris still holds power, he definitely has the political control of the stateFrom all indications, those who wielded much influence and call the shots in the past are gradually fizzling out, paving the way for the young ones, the majority of whom are governors of their respective states. The likes of Chief Solomon Lar and Ibrahim Mantu (Plateau); Alhaji Abdulahi Adamu (Nasarawa); Chief Audu Ogbeh, Chief Barnabas Gemade, former Governor George Akume (Benue), Dr Olusola Saraki (Kwara) and others from the geopolitical zone are gradually being retired by the upcoming godfathers.
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