Of Godfathers And Restless Godsons

In Nigerian politics, a term has emerged that sounds almost subversive: "godfatherism." Femi Akintunde-Johnson, a governor, recently stated that he does not wish to be a godfather, and once his tenure is complete, he intends to retire from active politics, allowing younger Nigerians to take their turn. He also has no interest in the Senate, emphasizing that once people experience good governance, they should become unwilling to return to the old order.

However, Nigeria has heard many worthy sentiments from politicians before. The real question is whether we can finally break free from the peculiar political culture where the person who helps you become governor later expects to become the invisible governor. This "godfatherism" goes beyond being an elder statesman offering advice or a mentorship.

It becomes problematic when political assistance is seen as an investment requiring repayment from the public treasury, when electoral support turns into a private franchise, and when the elected office-holder feels entitled to the patron's support.

The godfather finances the campaign, deploys political machinery, influences nominations, secures victories, and then expects the godson to understand that gratitude comes with a timetable. Appointments must reflect the patron's interests, contracts may overlook the benefactor, political enemies need to be handled, and state resources might acquire new meanings. The governor, who is constitutionally accountable to the people, finds another person waiting for his monthly report.

This issue is not exclusive to Nigeria; patron-client politics and political patronage have existed in various societies. However, the consequences in Nigeria are particularly severe. When a governor prioritizes negotiations with the person who helped him enter office, governance becomes hostage to an arrangement that was never part of the voter's contract.

Public appointments may become rewards for loyalty rather than instruments of competence, projects could be abandoned due to belonging to a previous political camp, legislators may become tools in factional warfare, party structures transform into personal machines, and the electorate, which was supposed to be sovereign, watches politicians fight over the mandate they supposedly bestowed upon them.