Since the return of democracy in 1999, the political influence of state governors has never been in doubt. At every turn, they call the shots and determine what goes on in the Nigerian political system.
The emergence of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, has continued with that trajectory as nine ex-governors, and their relatives have taken strategic appointments in the government, a development that has raised concerns from analysts.
This had been evident from the tenure of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to that of Muhammadu Buhari as no fewer than 24 ex-governors have been appointed by successive governments to serve in their administrations as ministers.
Daily Trust Saturday reports that the appointment of nine ex-governors by Tinubu closely follows the pattern of President Muhammadu Buhari during which 10 ex-governors were ministers.
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Following the return to democracy in 1999, President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed two ex-governors: Rabiu Kwankwaso and Cornelius Adebayo in his cabinet.
Obasanjo’s successor, Shehu Musa Yar’Adua had three ex-governors in his cabinet, namely: Achike Udenwa, Sam Egwu and Adamu Aliero.
On his part, President Buhari’s government had ten ministers who were ex-governors. They were: Chris Ngige, Kayode Fayemi, Babatunde Fashola, Rotimi Amaechi, Niyi Adebayo, Rauf Aregbeshola, Godswill Akpabio, Timipire Sylva, Ogbonnaya Onu and George Akume.
How governors worked for Tinubu’s emergence
The runoff to the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential primaries and the subsequent emergence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, as the candidate and later the winner of 2023 elections has opened another chapter with respect to the powers of state governors.
Recall that state governors, particularly from the Northern part of the country, stood by him during the last presidential elections which he eventually won.
It is noteworthy that Tinubu had picked Kashim Shettima, a former governor of Borno State and a serving Senator as running mate. Although the ticket was fiercely challenge by many, the governors worked, schemed and delivered their two colleagues to Aso Rock Presidential Villa.
Being one of them, former governors Nasir El-Rufai, Muhammad Badaru, Abubakar Bagudu, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and a host of APC governors and even a PDP Governor, Nyesom Wike, stood firmly behind Tinubu and his running mate, Shettima, till they won the elections as President and Vice respectively.
One striking coincidence was that the governors were also serving their last terms in office, thereby paving the way for the ‘exclusive club’ to have their own at the helms of affairs of the country.
Since his inauguration, Tinubu has maintained the bond between Nigerian governors most of whom are now Senators in the Red Chamber of the National Assembly which has been described as their place of retirement.
After his swearing in, Tinubu started compensating his friends in the club of former governors.
First, he ensured that a former governor of Akwa Ibom State and ex-minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, became the president of the 10th Senate. Thereafter, he appointed George Akume, another former governor, as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
It was, therefore, not surprising when Tinubu presented nine former governors out of the 48 names he submitted to the National Assembly for screening as ministers. A former acting governor and a former deputy governor also made the list.
The nine governors who have passed the Senate’s ministerial screening are: David Umahi; Nyesom Wike; Mohammed Badaru; Nasiru Ahmed El-Rufai (his confirmation is on hold); Adegboyega Oyetola; Atiku Bagudu; Bello Matawalle; Ibrahim Geidam and Simon Bako Lalong.
David Umahi was the immediate past governor of Ebonyi State who was elected to the Senate on the platform of the ruling APC during the 2023 elections.
Former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, who also scaled through worked for Tinubu after falling out with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar. He delivered his state to the APC. The former governors of Kaduna, Jigawa, Kebbi, Zamfara and Plateau, who have made it to Tinubu’s executive cabinet were among the northern governors who insisted that power must move to the South.
Pundits say they have been compensated because they worked for Tinubu to not only get the APC ticket, but to win the presidential election.
The inclusion of former Yobe State and Osun State governors’ names, Ibrahim Geidam and Adegboyega Oyetola on the list is also not surprising because they belong to the same club of former governors.
Geidam is a serving Senator while Oyetola like Matawalle of Zamfara State, lost his second term election bid to Ademola Adeleke of the PDP.
However, many were surprised that although most of them are PDP members, none of the pioneer governors who were elected alongside President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 1999 after the return of democracy to the country made the list.
It could be recalled that the President had sometime in July met with the Class of 1999 governors at the Presidential Villa.
Those who attended the meeting include the former governor of Edo State, Lucky Igbinedion, who is the Chairman of the group; James Ibori (Delta); Donald Duke (Cross River); Niyi Adebayo (Ekiti); Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia) and Sam Egwu (Ebonyi).
Others are Chimaroke Nnamani (Enugu); Ibrahim Saminu Turaki (Jigawa); Adamu Muazu (Bauchi); Obong Victor Attah (Akwa Ibom); Olusegun Osoba (Ogun); Bisi Akande (Osun); Ahmad Yerima (Zamfara); Jolly Nyame (Taraba); Attahiru Bafarawa(Sokoto) and Joshua Dariye (Plateau).
Since they left office, most of these governors have been exerting political influence in their states and in national politics.
Some of them have crossed to the Senate, served for a term or two and left or still in the Red Chamber while others are silently building political dynasties through family members or loyalists.
Their meeting was another confirmation of how governors have conquered the political space in Nigeria.
Ex-governors’ children head N/Assembly committees
Daily Trust Saturday reports that some sons and daughters of immediate past governors including those of the second, third generation governors who have won elections at various levels in the 2023 elections, are also heading strategic committees in the National Assembly.
This, it is believed, may not be unconnected with their fathers’ membership of the ex-governors club which the president is an active founding member.
They include Suenu Ibori, the daughter of former Delta State Governor, James Ibori, who heads the House Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission (NNDC); Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, son of former governor of Kaduna State, who heads the House Committee on Banking regulations.
Other are Adegboyega Adefarati, son of late former governor of Ondo State, Adebayo Adefarati, who heads the House Committee on Labour, employment and productivity; Olamiju Akala who is the son of former governor of Oyo State late Adebayo Alao Akala heads the Committee on Youth in parliament while Olumide Osoba, the son of former governor of Ogun State, Olusegun Osoba heads the House Committee on Justice.
It’s a worrisome trend – Analyst
Speaking on the issue, a strategist and policy analyst, Baba Yusuf, said the inclusion of significant number of former governors in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet is a thing of concern, particularly when one looks at the poor track records of some of them.
He said: “As far as I am concerned, from the outcome of the ministerial lists, it is highly likely that this administration may yet again be overshadowed by the combination of governors, former governors, former and serving ministers.
“The likely implication of this is that, I fear for the scenario of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to manifest yet again, whereby powerful power blocks within the kitchen cabinet of the former president were influencing policy decisions and directions, which was negatively impacting on the socio-economic wellbeing of Nigeria.
“From all indications, the power blocks were more for their parochial interests than the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians. Indeed, the outcome of the list is also a manifestation of how powerful governors are and fast becoming in the polity of Nigeria.
“The question is, how positively impactful will former governors, who have added less than zero value to the socio-economic development of their respective states, be to impact positively during the administration of Tinubu, who holds the reins of power in the most critical times in the history of Nigeria since the Civil War of the 1964?
“The concerns of people like me are how somebody can give what he does not have. Although, some of these governors stand out in terms of performance and how they impacted on the people of their states, but it is also goes without saying that a lot of them did not leave anything much to be desired during their tenures as governors.
“I worry for Nigeria if this is the way we are going to go. Mr. President must take proactive steps to put everybody in the Federal Executive Council on their toes to ensure delivery of good governance, and those that will not deliver should be shown the way out if at all possible.”
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