Since the return of the country to civil rule in 1999, politicians have continued to struggle for power in such a way that irritates their compatriots. Although many of them have read volumes of books and listened to stories that stress the fact that earthly power and its allurement are ephemeral, they have always appeared “drunk” with the opium of power so much that they see power as a do-or-die affair.
A number of the politicians, who made headline news; who were all over the place staging one event or the other, and carried themselves as though the whole would was on their palms, have today slipped into irrelevance and nothingness. Is it that they retired to private life?
The saddest thing of all is that their successors have learnt nothing about the vanity of power and life generally. If they had been conscious of this, they probably would have been more reasonable in the business of governance.
In Nigeria, the battle for governorship has always been fierce. Successive elections have been more intense than what they were in 1999. This, observers attribute to the increasing quest by politicians to control power for their own selfish ends other than service to fatherland.
Following the sudden death of General Sani Abacha on June 8, 1998 and the subsequent ascendance to the power stool by General Abdulsalami Abubakar, the return to a civil rule was made possible. Consequently, the gubernatorial election that was held on February 27, 1999 across the 36 states of the federation threw up eventual winners, many of whom have today slipped into political oblivion despite the fact that they were vocal, powerful and very influential while they were in power. This category of governors, since they left office, have not been able to win any other election particularly into the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which appears to be the retirement chamber of former governors.
A few of them who were appointed ministers served briefly and since then, nobody has heard anything about them, and the country moves on.
Today, some of them have either retreated from public life or are battling with the pangs of ill-acquired wealth and the consequences of their actions and inactions.
Although a number of them have neither won any other election since they left office nor enjoyed appointments from the Federal Governments, they have managed to keep their voices heard through their inputs in political discourse.
Orji Uzor Kalu and Donald Duke, former governors of Abia and Cross River States, respectively, fall into the latter category.
Victor Attah, born in 1938, was governor of Akwa Ibom State from 1999 to 2007. He was a member of the Board of Trustees of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). He was so vocal and influential that he was nicknamed “Mr. Resource Control”. But since he exited office, nothing much has been heard of him, except that he has switched party. He has since joined the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Chinwoke Mbadinuju was governor of Anambra State from May 29, 1999 to May 29, 2003 on the platform of the PDP. His tenure in Anambra was characterised with internal PDP wrangling, resulting in a failure of effective governance. Since he left office, he has quietly retired to his legal business, and he is never seen in political gathering either in his state or at the national level.
James Ibori was the Delta State governor from May 29, 1999 to May 29, 20007. He was a very powerful governor and influential. His robust political career suffered a setback because of the jail term he served in London. Although he has started to make some appearances at political gatherings, particularly in his home state, he is yet to re-launch himself into the national space.
Lucky Igbinedion: He became governor of Edo State from May 29, 1999 to May 29, 2007 on the platform of the PDP. Since his exit, Igbinedion has neither been appointed a minister nor has he contested an election into the Senate of the National Assembly. He voice is not being heard on political matters.
Niyi Adebayo: He governed Ekiti State from 1999 to 2003 on the platform of the defunct Alliance of Democracy (AD). He is today with the APC. Since he left office, nothing much is being heard of him in the political cycle.
Peter Odili: He served from 1999 to 2007 as governor of Rivers State. In November 2006, Odili announced that he would run for president in the 2007 election under the ruling PDP. However, a day before the PDP’s presidential primaries held on 16 December 2006, he stepped down from the contest, paving the way for fellow governor Yar’Adua to emerge as the party’s standard bearer. Since he left office, Odili has not been active in politics, neither in his home state nor at the national level. He remains a member of the PDP, the platform on which he governed Rivers. Odili was very popular and influential. Observers, however, say his current low profile on political turf may not be unconnected with the allegations bordering on corruption hanging on his neck.
Attahiru Bafarawa: He is a former governor of Sokoto State from 1999 to 2007. In 2007, he was also the presidential candidate of Democratic People’s Party ((DPP) which he founded. He appears to have gone into oblivion, after seeking in vain to prosecute a presidential project on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in 2011. The former governor had lashed out at the leadership of the defunct ACN for fielding a political neophyte, Nuhu Ribadu, a former EFCC chairman, as the party’s standard bearer.
Jolly Nyame, was a two-term governor of Taraba State from 1999 to 2007 on the platform of the PDP. Today, he is a member of the APC. He has been embroiled in fraud allegations, which some observers say many be a huge baggage that is weighing him down. Since he exited office he has neither been appointed a minister nor has he contested election to go to the Senate.
Achike Udenwa was the governor of Imo State from 1999 to 2007 on the PDP platform. He was appointed minister of Commerce and Industry on December 2008 by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua. He left office in March 2010 when Goodluck Jonathan took over the mantle of leadership as Acting President and dissolved the cabinet. Since 2010, Udenwa has become politically irrelevant. He is not of any political reckoning whether in the state or at the national level. Nobody even consults him.
Tinubu in a class of his own
However, of all the governors in the 1999 squad, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, appears to have remained relevant up till today and has produced many political children and grand children.
An anonymous writer captured Tinubu’s exploits in politics, noting that he has excelled where his peers crashed out.
“By 2003, Tinubu was the only governor left in the AD. He was under pressure to decamp but he stayed. He built the party and it became stronger.
For the eight years that he ruled Lagos, he hired several people to work with him. I think he carefully picked them. Apart from using them to work in his government, he also groomed them for the future.
Eight years down the line, see where those Tinubu guys are today –
“Prof Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, was Tinubu’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice. He is today, Nigeria’s Vice President; Rauf Aregbesola was Tinubu’s Commissioner for Works. Today he is serving his second tenure as governor of Osun State;
Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, was Tinubu’s Chief of Staff and successor in office. He is today Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Works and Housing;
Lai Mohammed was Tinubu’s first Chief of Staff. He is today, Nigeria’s Minister of Information,” the observer noted.
“Babatunde Fowler was appointed by Tinubu as Chairman of the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service. Today, he is the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service; at the National Assembly, there are countless ‘Tinubu boys’ who have occupied and are still occupying seats till today. Since 1999, the Tinubu camp has produced almost 98percent of the members of the National Assembly from Lagos State,” the writer recalled.
“Forget politics, this man is a political enigma.
Tinubu has continued to control Lagos politics 100percent. Not only that, he managed to carry his boys along and today they occupy critical positions in our national life. Take it or leave it, Tinubu is today, Nigeria’s most powerful politician. It didn’t just happen by chance. He worked very hard for it. The hallmark of a true leader is not just the ability to rule well but also the ability to nurture and groom his associates,” the writer further stated.
Zebulon Agomuo
