It was the vice grip that the rich and old politicians have on the political firmament of the country, which effectively shut out vibrant and intelligent youths, that led stakeholders to clamour for a law that will open up the political space to accommodate young people who would have wanted to aspire to elective offices but are deprived by the stipulated age requirement.
Marilyn Okowa-Daramola
That was what gave rise to the Not too Young to run bill which was signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari on May 31, 2018. The Act reduced the requirement for elective positions. The age for state House of Assembly and House of Representatives was reduced from 30 years to 25, Senate and Governorship from 35 to 30 and the the president was lowered from 40 to 35 years.
Good as the Act is, it is not a one-stop shop for political inclusion of the youths. There is still the problem of money politics where the old money bags hold sway. With money still an issue in Nigerian politics, it is not yet Uhuru for youths in Nigeria who are interested in holding political office.
While some political parties fixed reasonable amounts their their nomination and expression of interest forms, collected half the usual amount for youths and even gave out the forms to female aspirants for free, the figures for the two main political parties — the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) — were still exorbitant. For instance, while the PDP charged N40 million for the presidential nomination and expression of intent forms, the ruling APC pegged its forms for president at N100 million!
While the youths and other ordinary Nigerians are contending with the prohibitive cost of venturing into politics, the rich, “old brigade” are perfecting a new strategy to keep the youths perpetually out of the political space.
Realising that they are growing old and would sooner or later bow out of the political scene, the money-bags are now beginning to sponsor their children, wives, in-laws and other family members to occupy plum elective and appointive offices in the land and in the process establishing political dynasties.
Those who are not too old but are also engaged in the business of establishing and perpetuating their political dynasties, may have served as Senator before switching to become governors of their various states and nowhere else to aspire to. The driving reason behind this is to guarantee the family’s continued access to power as well as the perks accruing to such offices. The driving reason behind this is to guarantee the family’s continued access to power as well as the perks accruing to such offices.
To be fair, this is not totally alien to us but before now there were just a few cases of children, wives and in-laws being sponsored to grab political office. Bola Tinubu’s wife and former First Lady of Lagos State, Oluremi Tinubu, is a serving Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. She has been a senator since 2011 while wife of Theophilus Danjuma represented Edo South in the Senate between 2003 and 2007. Iyabo Obasanjo, daughter of former president, Olusegun Obasanjo represented Ogun Central in the Senate between 2007 and 2011.
The situation is now different. In virtually all the states of the federation, children, wives and in-laws of serving and past governors are holding one appointive office or the other. Besides appointive positions, the number of family members aspiring for political offices in the 2023 elections is mind-boggling. In some cases, serving and former governors are coming head to head, in their quest to push their family members through.
Former Abia State Governor, Theodore Orji’s son, Chinedum, who is currently the Speaker of the State Assembly, has picked up one of the PDP House of Representatives tickets. In Anambra State, Ebele Obiano, wife of the immediate past governor has clinched the Anambra North Senatorial ticket. Former governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori’s daughter, Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu, who is a sitting member of the Delta State House of Assembly has picked up the PDP ticket for Ethiope Federal Constituency. In the same vein, incumbent governor, Ifeanyi Okowa’s daughter, Marilyn Okowa-Daramola, pocketed the Ika North East constituency ticket of the Delta State House of Assembly, unopposed.
Joju Fayose, son of former Ekiti governor, Ayo Fayose, has picked up the PDP ticket to contest for the Ekiti Central Federal Constituency I.
Mustapha Lamido, son of former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, won the PDP gubernatorial ticket while another son won the House of Representatives ticket, while in Kaduna State, Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s son, Bello, won the APC Kaduna North Federal Constituency ticket to the House of Representatives
Sadiq, the son of the convener of the Northern Elders Forum, Prof Ango Abdullahi, despite being in captivity of the terrorists, who attacked the Kaduna-Abuja train, clinched the ticket of the Sabon Gari Federal Constituency while Muhammad Abacha, son of the late military dictator, Sani Abacha, is in contention for the Kano gubernatorial election as he has picked the PDP ticket.
Chief Segun Osoba is also doing everything to perpetuate his family name and equally enjoy the perks of office. The former Ogun governor’s son, Olumide, who is currently the member representing Abeokuta North/Odeda/Obafemi Owode Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, has again picked the APC ticket for the third time running.
In Oyo State, sons of three former governors, late Alao-Akala, late Lam Adeshina and late Senator Abiola Ajumobi, have all emerged as candidates for different offices in the 2023 general elections while in Sokoto, Sagir, son of former governor, Attahiru Bafawara, who is a serving commissioner, has just been named running mate to the man who defeated him in the state’s PDP governorship primary, Sa’idu Umar.
A good number of them have succeeded in winning their party tickets to contest as House of Assembly and House of Representatives members as well as Senators. It will be interesting to see if they will win in the main elections.
The implication of this is that, in no distant time, the political space will be dominated by children and wives of former governors. Secondly, and even more serious is the fact that with this development, the son of a common citizen can never aspire to any high political office in Nigeria.
