By Wande Akindiose
Godfatherism is not new to politicking all over the world. The philosophy behind it only differs from one region to another.
Godfatherism has been taken to the extreme in Africa and the rest of the poor Third World. It has been used to usurped the wishes of the people. In saner climes, godfatherism has been used to put people in power because of the conviction that those people can really work for the emancipation of the people.
Here, in our own clime, godfatherism is used to enrich the godfather and impoverish the people.
When Bola Ahmed Tinubu returned to Nigeria in late 1998, the most popular candidate for Lagos was late Funsho Williams, a true Lagosian. Then the most popular party in the West was the Alliance for Democracy (AD). Apart from Tinubu belonging to NADECO he was not an active participant in the struggle for democracy in Nigeria.
It took the efforts of the Yoruba leaders then to appeal to Funsho Williams to step down for Tinubu because he was still young and Tinubu came back from the USA a broke man.
Under Tinubu’s nose, Williams was mowed down and today Tinubu owns not less than 15% of Lagos state.
His involvement in this Edo election really ripped him open. He is a general who doesn’t know when to retreat. He was beclouded by delusion and psychotic syndrome.
Edo people have shown that they have the mind of their own and can not be stampeded to tow the wrong line.
Think about it: Adams Oshiomhole invited Godwin Obaseki from Dangote group and he built the economic plans of Adams regime. Adams single handedly imposed same man on Edo state. Just because he didn’t want to share state’s funds with him, he made sure he was sent out of the party.
The people of Edo have shown that they are not lily livered and can determine their own future.
They disgraced Oshiomhole and Tinubu and made Gandoje look so embarrassed that he left the state through the back door.
Ondo people should take a cue from this and elect their own choice.
I must give credit to the Oba of Benin for not soiling his royalty.
That the President didn’t allow security agencies to be partisan as usual tells me that Tinubu and Oshiomhole are not in his good books and wouldn’t mind a little bitter lesson for them.
Edo people have spoken and very loud indeed.
