DEMOCRACY AND
POLITICS OF GODFATHERISM IN NIGERIA:
THE EFFECTS AND
WAY FORWARD
Political godfatherism is one of
the factors that embedded democratic setting in Nigeria since
first republic. In view of this,
this research work is primarily designed to examine democracy and
politics of godfatherism in
Nigeria with emphasis on its effects and way forward. The study
adopts primary and secondary data
to analyze some critical issues, like political violence, vote
buying, disenfranchisement and
some other political and socio-cultural factors that embedded
democratic setting in Nigeria
since 1999 till current political dispensation engaged by godfathers
and godsons. The study further
explores the relationship between godfathers and godsons with a
particular attention to who
become the next strongmen in the area of politics and who retains the
status quo. This study examines
some key concepts, such as democracy, political violence and
political godfatherism. Finally,
the study concludes with recommendations in order to ensure
good governance and political stability in Nigeria.
Democracy in Nigeria has had a
chequered history. From the ‘Wild-Wild West’ experience of
the first republic through prolonged
autocratic military regimes and the truncated second and
third republics to the present
democratic dispensation, democracy has suffered debilitating
experiences in the country. The perennial travail of
democracy is predicated on a number of factors, including ineffective
structures and institutions, the foreboding presence of the military, corruption,
money politics and godfatherism .
However, Godfatherism has become a scary phenomenon in
Nigerian politics. Godfatherism in Nigeria, particularly in its current form
and character, is distributive. Though it is a longstanding and deeply rooted
feature of the cultural values of Nigerian society, where it is purely socio- economic in nature and mutually productive for
both parties, its politicization would appear to have contributed to the
criminalization of politics. For example, the Hausa have a
well-institutionalized system where the godfather is known as “Maigida”
(landlord or head of household). Godfathers reign across all spheres of the society:
academics, legal, and religion environment.
Therefore, the clamour for
democracy in Nigeria is to improve both political and socio-economic
situation of the country through
massive involvement in the policy making, but reverse is the
case as those that attained
political power in both legislative and executive arms of government
got to the seat of powers through
the support of some political ‘godfathers’ in various states cum
the center, however, the desire
of political godfathers is to hold political and socio-economic
powers both at the center cum the
component units as mechanisms to politically influence the
activities of political office
holders, that is, the Governors and some Legislators in terms of
appointing people into various
positions, such as Ministers/Commissioners, Chairmen of the
boards, Secretaries to the
various Institutions, DPM and Treasurers of Local Governments as
well as allocation of some
developmental projects into various localities within the state or center
as well.
Consequently, the impact of the
godfathers on Nigeria’s general elections was unprecedented.
Godfathers are those who have the
security connections, extended local links, enormous financial
weight to plot and determine the
success of a power seeker at any level of a supposedly
competitive politics. Although godfatherism has an
institutionalized feature in Nigerian politics over the years, its contemporary
manifestations suggest that it has assumed epidemic proportions, becoming one of the greatest threats to
democratic consolidation in Nigeria. The recent activities of some Nigerian
godfathers could be likened to attributes of mafianism; however, some still see
the existence of godfathers as the balancer of power in a democracy. Akinola
(2009) believes in the need to have a good-hearted individual (people’s hero)
at the sole realm of absolute power, a godfather distributes power as he deems,
and anoints who rules. But, godfatherism has taken a strange dimension in
Nigeria’s political environment. It has become a menace pulling down the
foundations of masses-driven governance, thereby denying Nigerians the
much-deserved dividends of democracy. since 1999, when Nigeria joined the
comity of democratically governed countries, it has continued to experience an
unprecedented rise in political violence ranging from increased crime wave,
armed robbery, political assassination, and religious riots as a result of
crises loomed between godfathers and some godsons, see the case of
godfatherism, which reached its climax during the wanton destruction of lives
and properties that witnessed the violent confrontation between a godfather
(Chris Uba) and governor of Anambra state (Chris Ngige) and Dr. Olusola Saraki
and his godson, late Admiral Mohamed Lawal in 1999-2003 administration in Kwara
State which witnessed various political dimensions ranging from the destruction
of lives and properties, electoral malpractices/violence, disenfranchisement of
many qualified electorates through the engagement of thugs and lastly, the
invitation of vote buying system between godfather (Dr. Olusola Saraki) and his
godson (Late Admiral Mohamed Lawal) who wanted to become political dictator in
the state. In conclussion, there is hardly any state devoid of the existence
and influence of godfathers, though the level of such influence varies.
In America,
the political candidate wiggles around, seeking group and individual
endorsements for their candidacy. Also, in other advanced societies, group
influence and endorsement could be more valuable than a powerful individual .
In essence, godfatherism is a
threat to the Nigeria’s nascent democracy. This makes it imperative
in this paper to explore the ugly
phenomenon of godfatherism and its effect on democratization
in the country.
CONCLUSION
From all
indications, godfatherism is a major debacle to political stability in any
given society
because it involves
the employment of all illegal means to achieve their political objectives
during registration
of voters and conduct of both primaries and general elections in the state cum
the center. The
godfathers are usually involved in the snatching of ballot boxes and papers,
killing of the
opposition aspirants, falsification of election results, motivating the godsons
to
embezzle public
fund, hijacking public securities to intimidate electorates in various polling
units
all over the nation-state and using
their political influence to bend the public policies.
WAY
FORWARD/RECOMMENDATIONS
To put an end to
political crisis created by political godfathers in Nigeria, the following
factors
as identified by
Bernard, (2009) must be considered as first priority so that all illegal acts
will be
minimized;
i. Political awareness campaigns should be
put in place to put an end to political
murders.
ii. Elective posts in Nigeria
should be made unattractive. The idea of paying jumbo
salaries
and allowances to elected public servants should be stopped.
iii. Money, self-centredness and
selfish influence should be de-emphasized in partisan
politics through vigorous public enlightenment about the
fundamental human rights of both the political aspirants and the electorates.
iv. The electoral law should lay
emphasis on proper conduct of primary elections in
order to enhance the rights of the electorates in the choice of
their candidates or representatives.
v. Selection of candidates for
elections or declaring candidates “unopposed” should be
outlawed
and random plebiscite should be introduced by the INEC in the respective
constituencies to ascertain the popularity or acceptance of
candidates chosen by political parties through primaries.
vi. Alternatively, the INEC
should request for and duly treat preliminary public
petitions
against candidates chosen at the primaries.
vii. A provision should be made
for independent candidature in the electoral law in order
to
cut the wings of political godfathers.
viii. Misuse of the powers of
incumbency should be curbed by appointing interim
government in place of incumbent President, Governor and Local
Government Chairmen shortly before the next elections. This will curb the
practice whereby the aforementioned public office holders preside over the
elections in which they are contestants and collude with godfathers to rig
elections in their own favour with their paraphernalia of office.
ix. Electronic voting should be adopted for all elections in the
country in order to minimize electoral fraud.
NEWS PAPERS
The Nation, April,
11, 2011. Pg 3& 12
The Nation, April,
12, 2011. Pg 9
The Nation, April 14,,
2011. Pg 2
The Nation, April
20, 2011. Pg7
Next, Tuesday, May 31, 2011
TAIRU TAOFEEK KOLAWOLE
MASS COMMUNICATION HND II
MATRIC NO: 136072046
