While it is not new in Nigerian democracy, the rise of multiple godfathers and groundswell of internal political conflicts across states should be troubling. Okowa is now considered the new political godfather in the state, alongside Chief Ibori, who has been holding sway for about 24 years. In the beginning were godfathersRecall that the Fourth Republic, which started in 1999, has produced notable numbers of political godfathers more than ever. Notably, President Bola Tinubu, is acclaimed the most influential political godfather in the current dispensation. Agbeyegbe said these were the first set of political godfathers, but they are benevolent in nature compared to what is obtainable now.

Source: The Guardian August 18, 2023 05:57 UTC