Politics Of Godfatherism

The long drawn battle between Governor Obaseki and his political godfather, Adams Oshiomhole, National Chairman of APC has culminated to the denial of Obaseki from seeking a second term under the party


Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo State is a consummate politician who joined politics to change the narrative where the interest of the people is not reckoned with, while the interest of the leaders and other political jobbers hold sway. Obaseki vowed to fight godfatherism, the cankerworm which has been in contention to destroy the game of politics, known in the good old days as a beautiful game. The scourge pervades the political space in Edo State as it is in most other States of the federation.

Before Obaseki became governor of Edo State in 2016, he was invited by Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, a former governor of Edo State, and now National Chairman of APC to join him in the fight against godfathersim which the APC chieftain fought to a standstill as governor. Comrade Oshiomhole, Obaseki revealed, had demanded that he (Obaseki) should join forces with him to fight and bring an end the practice of godfathersim in Edo State. “The partnership helped us in changing the narrative of development in the state” the governor said, stressing that he entered politics to better the lives of Edo people, and not to serve the interest of any man or privileged few.

Obaseki, who then was coming from the private sector where he excelled in his field of human endeavour believed Comrade Oshiomhole and together they fought godfatherism in the State. “Oshiomole then said, Godfatherism is not good, but today he says that godfatherisim is good, the governor says in stark reference to the feud with the APC National Chairman which saw his ambition to run for a second term in office under the APC platform swept under the carpet. The estranged governor spoke of Oshiomhole’s double standard, “Before now, he would say, let the people lead but today, he wants to lead the people against their interest”. The governor decried the situation where the people wallow in abject poverty while few people control the commonwealth of the people, saying that with the resources available in the State, the people have no business being poor.

“Any politics that doesn’t benefit the majority of the people is bad politics. The resources we have in the State is to be used for the common good of the people of Edo state, not a few politicians”, he posited. Speaking before his disqualification from running for the APC primary election, Obaseki said that he knew he was not going to get a fair deal from the Screening Committee because they were doing the bidding of the National Chairman. Obaseki was proved right when the APC Screening Committee disqualified him on grounds of alleged discrepancies in his personal and academic records. His main challenger, Ozagie Ize-Iyamu, who has been taunted as the adopted son of Oshiomhole to replace Obaseki as governor, was however cleared to contest the primaries. Though Obaseki said he was not going to appeal his disqualification, the party’s NWC has since upheld the decision to disqualify him.

Unfazed with the trend of events in his party, Obaseki has moved on, there are strong indications that the Peoples’ Democratic Party is wooing the governor to run as the party’s flag bearer during the September governorship election. Crusoe Osagie, Special Adviser to the governor on Media and Communication Strategy spoke glowingly about the governor’s deep love and commitment of service to his people, “For Obaseki, it is Edo people or nothing; This is why he has remained in this battle thus far. “The governor has enthroned probity and accountability in governance. His loyalty rests with the Edo people. He would not trade them away to those who have decided to become Godfathers, and waging a war of impunity to subjugate the people”.

Over time, Obaseki has proved that he is his own man. He has brought finesse to governance by insisting on new rules of engagement in management of public affairs, sideling political jobbers who live on the state without reciprocal contributions to the general good. The governor’s style and attitude to governance has also endeared him to stakeholders and majority of people of Edo State who see him as God-sent. Obaseki has tried to work for the good of the majority through his well detailed and articulate policies. To his party APC, providing quality services to Edo people was not enough to guarantee him a second term in office. His relationship with those “who made him matter”.

For a very long time, the Governor and his political Godfather Adams Oshiomole have not been best of friends. Their difference seem to defy any manner of reconciliation as several peace meetings initiated by well meaning people both within the State and beyond has not yielded result. It is widely rumored that Obaseki’s loyalty to the forces that brought him to power was in doubt. He was a beneficiary of the power of incumbency Oshiomhole wielded to ensure his emergence as governor and his successor. It won’t be wrong to say that Obaseki was his godson, while Oshiomhole was his godfather.

Of course, in politics, there is no permanent friend or permanent enemy, but permanent interest. It has become obvious that in pursuit of their various interests, the political gladiators would clash in what has become the clash of the titans. Such was the case for Obaseki. Unfortunately, Obaseki benevolence from Oshiomhole appeared to be conflicting with his desire to provide democratic dividends to the generality of Edo people. There has arisen a conflict of interest between serving the interest of the people and serving the interest of a selected few. Governor Obaseki shot himself on the foot, or underestimated the power and reach of the hawks he is dinning with, when he resisted their demand and told them in their face that he would not share money meant for the development of the State to politicians and political jobbers who add no value to uplifting the state.

Supremacy learnt that one of the major causes of the rift between Oshiomhole and his godson, Obaseki has to do with Obaseki’s decision to block avenues of revenue leakages which the former governor (Oshiomhole) allowed during his eight-year tenure. There was also the allegation that there used to be over invoicing in government procurement and award of contracts in the old order, resulting in fleecing the state of huge revenue. Obaseki also realized that there is so much inefficiency and waste in the way government business was run, and decided to plug all the loopholes because such development made the state suffer huge financial losses.

Further, it was alleged that Obaseki stepped on so many toes in his efforts to put the state on the part of progress. “Some people who felt they were the owners of the state empowered some boys who were going about collecting all manner of levies, they made life very difficult for market women and indigenes doing small business to survive. Odigie Oyegum, a former governor of Edo State and APC chieftain was prophetic when he said before the primaries; “The nature of the primary election in Edo State will determine the shape and survival of APC as a political party. It will show Nigerians, and indeed the world, whether APC is a party of truth, change and progress, driven by the principles of fairness, social justice and equity or it has become a party that promotes business as usual.

“Given the widely known peculiarities of Edo State, if a consensus cannot be built behind the incumbent, everything must be done to ensure that the persons in leadership of the party at the center who are part of the contrived crisis in Edo State must not even remotely be allowed to plan, participate or supervise the primary, otherwise there would be political consequences.

“Allowing any member(s) of the National leadership who have been involved in the contrived crisis in Edo state would equate making such a person or persons a judge in their own case. This is contrary to the principles of natural justice and will be naturally resisted” Odigie – Oyegun had warned.

It could be recalled that former Lagos State governor, was brutally stopped from putting himself forward for reelection because of a feud with his political godfather and national leader of APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. “Obaseki must be ready to fight for his survival, the same way Gov. Ortom did. The battle must be eyeball to eyeball. No pretense. We all saw what happened to Ambode. He tried everything to please Tinubu, even to the point of ridiculing himself in public. But they had already made up their mind on him. Obaseki must carry his cross, one way or the other, he must fight for his political survival,” Dr Ambrose Nwachukwu, an analyst said. Whether there would be political consequences for APC following the disqualification and humiliation of incumbent Governor Obaseki at the primary elections, only time will tell.