Daughters, Sons, and Spouses

The Emerging Political Dynasties in Nigeria

Abstract

This paper explores the emergence of dynasties in the Nigerian political landscape since the return to democratic governance in 1999. The relatively stable atmosphere that had been achieved in the political scene which no longer felt threatened by the possibility of a military coup, as was the norm in Nigeria and elsewhere in Africa and Latin America of the 1950s and 1960s, has made politicians relaxed and self-assured that civilian rule has come to stay. This feeling of assurance, among other factors, has led to the elite political class to want to perpetuate themselves in elective political offices, passing the baton to their sons, daughters, spouses, siblings and/or in-laws. Drawing from open-source materials available in newspapers and the internet, the paper found that it is now the vogue for elected public office holders to position close family as their successors in the offices they are vacating or others within the electoral system, including gubernatorial, federal and state legislative positions. It is our conclusion, in this paper, that notwithstanding that political dynasties are found in other democracies, they represent a real and potential threat to the Nigerian democratic space.