The results of the last gubernatorial election in Imo State have put an inglorious end to the spirited efforts of Rochas Anayo Okorocha, the incumbent governor of Imo State to dictate to the electorate who would succeed him. For a long time, Okorocha in his usual ebullient way left nobody in any doubt that he preferred his son-in- law, UcheNwosu to succeed him as governor of Imo State. His insistence on making UcheNwosu the gubernatorial candidate of his party, the APC in his state, did not go well with his party at the national level. This led to a bitter confrontation with Adam Oshiomhole, the combative and feisty chairman of the party who described Okorocha’s action as that of an emperor who wants to build a political dynasty. The party did not succumb to Okorocha’s pressure and went ahead to field Hope Uzodinma as its official gubernatorial candidate, while Okorocha fielded UcheNwosu, his son -in- law as the candidate of the hurriedly registered Action Alliance party.
The gubernatorial election on March 9, involving 70 candidates was won by EmekaIhedioha of the People’s Democratic Party who polled 273,404 votes to defeat Okorocha’s choice who came second with 190, 364 votes. The APC official candidate, Hope Uzodinma came fourth with 96,458 votes. With this result, the people of Imo State told Okorocha in an unmistaken term that he could not dictate to them the person who would succeed him.
The accusation by Oshiomhole that Okorocha wanted to build a political dynasty is credible if one judges by the political appointments made by Okorocha as governor of Imo State. His sister, OgechiOlolo is the commissioner of the controversial ministry of happiness and purpose fulfilment in his cabinet. UcheNwosu, the failed gubernatorial contestant is married to Ulomma, Okorocha’s first daughter and he is Okorocha’s Chief of Staff. Professor Anthony Anwulah , the minister of state for education at the federal level was nominated for this post by Okorocha and he is married to Okorocha’s second daughter. Okorocha himself had planned to go the senate after his tenure. Okorocha has hoped that with the election of his in- law as governor, his daughter would automatically become the first lady of the state, a post previously held by her mother.
In view of the above political inbreeding being practiced by Okorocha in Imo State, it is pertinent to examine similar situation with regard to political dynasty in Nigeria’s political space, in other parts of Africa and in the rest of the world.
The nearest to political dynasty in Nigeria is the Saraki’s family political dynasty based in Kwara State. The patriarch of the dynasty, the late Dr. Olusola Saraki, a medical doctor was a political colossus who dominated Kwara politics for a long time before his death. He was a prominent member of National Party of Nigeria (NPN) through which he became the leader of the senate from 1979 to 1983. In his lifetime, nobody could become the governor of Kwara state without his support. However, before his death, he consolidated power within his family. His son,Dr.BukolaSaraki, who is also a medical doctor, became governor of Kwara State for eight years (2003-2011). At the same period his sister, GbemiSaraki was in the senate. After eight years as the governor, Sarakiwent to the senate where he is presently the senate president. The patriarch of the family wanted Bukola’s sister, Gbemi, to succeed him as governor in 2011, but BukolaSaraki frustrated this move by his father and somebody outside Saraki’s family circle became the governor after him. This did not go down well with the patriarch and an unbridgeable crack developed within this well-oiled dynasty. However, from the results of the recent elections in Kwara State in which the impregnable BukolaSaraki lost his senate seat with a wide margin and his party was equally routed in other elections, it is obvious that the dynasty has lost its firm grip on the politics of that state. Other budding political dynasties put together by notable politicians like J.S. Tarka, S.D. Lar and Olusegun Obasanjo, who at one time or the other tried to situate their children into elective posts fizzled out with time.
In other parts of Africa, political dynasty occurs in some countries with dubious democratic dispensation. In West Africa, we have Togo where the Eyadémafamily has been ruling the hapless country since 1967. Faure Eyadémawho is the current president of the country took over from his father, Gnassingbé Eyadémawhen he died in 2005. The senior Eyadémacame to power in 1967. In Equatorial Guinea, the Nguema family had ruled the country since this small but badly governed country got its independence from Spain in 1968. The present leader of the country, the ruthless Obiang Nguema is the longest serving head of state in Africa and he has positioned his son,TeodorinObiang to succeed him.
In Gabon, the Bongo family has also established a political dynasty. The late Omar Bongo, who took over power in that country in 1967 ruled the oil rich country for 42 years and when he died in 2009 he was succeeded by his son Ali Bongo who has continued the dictatorial rule of his father. Recently, it was reported that Ali Bongo was fighting for his life in a Saudi Arabia hospital after falling ill during a visit to Saudi Arabia. In Kenya, Kenyatta family has also established a political dynasty. Jomo Kenyatta, the first President of Kenya ruled first as the prime minister and then as president from 1963 until his death in 1978. His son Uhuru Kenyatta, although did not succeed him immediately also became the fourth president of the country in 2013. We have other forms of political dynasty in other African countries. There are reports that Museveni of Uganda and aging Biya of Cameroon are extending their stay in power because they are waiting for their children to succeed them.
In other parts of the world there are entrenched political dynasties. In USA, the families of Adam, Roosevelt, Kennedy and Bush are entrenched political dynasties with enviable legacies of service to the people. Trudeau’s political dynasty is also well entrenched in Canada. In Cuba, the enigmatic Fidel Castro who took over power in 1959 was succeeded by his brother Raul Castro when he stepped down in 2011. Raul Castro himself stepped down in 2018 to give power to somebody who is not a member of Castro’s family. This was after the Castro family had ruled the country for 59 years. The world has also witnessed political dynasties managed by husbands and their wives. In the 70s, we had one managed by Juan Peron and his wife Isabel in Argentina. At present in Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega is the president while his wife the first lady, Rossarrio Murillo Zambrana is the vice president. The wife is already positioned to succeed him as president unless the two of them are booted out of power by the persistent agitations currently facing the couple in Nicaragua.
The emergence of political dynasty can be a force for good if it is not developed at the expense of the sacred political choices of the people and if it is used as a veritable instrument for service to the people. For example, the Roosevelt political dynasty in USA threw up Franklin D. Roosevelt who as president between 1938 and 1944 took USA from the great depression and helped to defeat the heinous Hitler Nazi regime which was ravaging Europe during the Second World War. In Africa as we have seen in the cases of Togo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, political dynasties in these countries were used and they are still being used to stifle the free choices of the people and they are characterized by unbridled crude dictatorships. Dissidents are brutally suppressed so that political and economic powers could be kept permanently within the political dynasties. The antics of Governor Okorocha to keep power within his immediate family members is a crude form of political dynasty. It is nothing more than an ill-digested political inbreeding that produced nothing more than a naked form of political nepotism. With the results that emanated from Imo State in the last gubernatorial election, Okorocha’s political inbreeding has failed woefully.
- Professor Lucas writes from Old Bodija,Ibadan.
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