Looking at the vast tapestry of what is our nation Nigeria’s political landscape, a pattern has since independence emerged with increasing clarity over the decades—the deliberate cultivation of political dynasties, where the children and relatives of established politicians are strategically positioned to inherit power, influence, and authority. This phenomenon, neither unique to Nigeria nor entirely novel in its manifestation, has become a defining feature of the country’s democratic experiment, raising fundamental questions about representation, meritocracy, and the very essence of political succession in Africa’s most populous democracy.
The deep taproots of dynastic politics in Nigeria stretch back to the immediate post-independence era. Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the sage of Nigerian politics and leader of the Action Group, openly encouraged his children to pursue political careers, viewing it as a natural extension of public service that ran in the family’s blood. His daughter, Tokunbo Awolowo-Dosunmu, served in various political capacities, as did other members of the Awolowo clan. This was not an isolated case. Across the country’s diverse regions, political families have long begun to emerge, each seeking to preserve their influence across generations.
The trend has proven remarkably resilient and geographically indiscriminate. In the North, the children of military generals and civilian administrators have transitioned seamlessly into governorship positions and legislative seats. The South-South region has witnessed similar patterns, with political godfathers ensuring their progeny occupy strategic positions in state and federal government. In the Southeast, families that dominated politics in the First Republic continue to wield considerable influence through their descendants, creating what some observers have termed a “political aristocracy” that mirrors the traditional chieftaincy system.
Understanding this phenomenon requires appreciating Nigeria’s unique socio-cultural context. In many Nigerian societies, leadership is viewed through a communal lens rather than an individualistic one. The Yoruba concept of omoluabi—a person of good character and noble lineage—implicitly connects virtue with heritage. Similarly, in Igbo society, the ogaranya (wealthy person) is expected to groom successors who will maintain the family’s status. Northern Nigeria’s emirate system, with its centuries-old tradition of hereditary leadership, provides perhaps the clearest cultural precedent for political succession along family lines. These cultural frameworks create an environment where political dynasties feel not only natural but almost expected.
Moreover, there exists a legitimate defense of this practice. Nigeria’s constitution guarantees every citizen the fundamental right to participate in the political process, to vote and be voted for, regardless of parentage. The children of politicians are definitely Nigerians too, with inalienable rights to seek public office. To discriminate against them solely because of their lineage would constitute an infringement of these constitutional rights and would establish a dangerous precedent of political disenfranchisement based on family background.
Likewise,history is replete with numerous examples from those who we deem as more mature democracies where political families have flourished without fundamentally undermining democratic principles. Britain produced two William Pitts who served as Prime Minister—father from 1766 to 1768, and son from 1783 to 1801 and again from 1804 to 1806. More recently, the Miliband brothers, David and Ed, both competed for Labour Party leadership, demonstrating that political ambition can indeed run in families. The Gandhi dynasty has dominated Indian politics for generations, with Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, and more recently, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, all playing central roles in the Congress Party and national governance.
The United States, often held up as the standard-bearer of modern democracy, has witnessed its share of political dynasties. The Kennedy family became American royalty, with John F. Kennedy serving as President, his brother Robert as Attorney General and Senator, their brother Edward as a long-serving Senator and Robert’s two sons Joseph P. Kennedy II served as a United States Representative from Massachusetts, while Robert Francis Kennedy Jr, is the current United States Secretary of Health and Human Services.
The Adams family gave America its second and sixth presidents—father John Adams and son John Quincy Adams. The Clintons transformed from Arkansas politicians into national figures, with Bill serving as President and Hillary as Senator, Secretary of State, and presidential candidate. Even Abraham Lincoln’s son, Robert Todd Lincoln, served as Secretary of War under Presidents Garfield and Arthur. The Bush family produced two presidents, a governor, and numerous influential political operatives.
These international examples suggest that political dynasties, in themselves, do not necessarily signal democratic decay. Talent, passion for public service, and political acumen can indeed be nurtured within families, and there is nothing inherently wrong with following in one’s parents’ footsteps, whether in medicine, business, or politics.
However, the Nigerian context introduces troubling complications that distinguish these local dynasties from their international counterparts. The critical question is not whether politicians’ children have the right to seek office, but whether they are ascending on merit or merely riding on their parents’ coattails and manipulating systems that should reward competence, vision, and integrity rather than surname and connections.
When political parties become family enterprises, when primary elections are rigged to favour the children of these tingods, when young politicians with minimal experience or demonstrable capability are catapulted into positions of enormous responsibility simply because of whose son or daughter they are, our democracy suffers a profound injury and goes against the Napoleonic maxim, “ Without the distinction of birth or fortune” The problem intensifies when these scions of political families display neither the intellectual capacity nor the moral character required for leadership, yet still secure positions through networks of patronage their parents have carefully constructed over decades.
Again, a number of these Nigerian political dynasties often emerge not from genuine popular support but from the systematic abuse of institutional processes. Delegates are bought, opposition is intimidated, party structures are manipulated, and electoral processes are compromised to ensure that power remains within particular families. This creates a vicious cycle where political office becomes my “papa property” hereditary rather than a trust temporarily bestowed by the electorate, where governance becomes a family business rather than public service, and where the interests of the dynasty supersede the interests of the nation.
The consequences are devastating. When leadership positions are reserved for political heirs regardless of merit, Nigeria loses the opportunity to benefit from fresh perspectives, innovative thinking, and the diverse talents of its vast population. Young Nigerians who possess brilliant ideas, impeccable integrity, and genuine passion for national development find themselves locked out of a system that values lineage over excellence. The implicit message becomes clear: in Nigeria, what matters is not what you know or what you can offer, but who your father or grandfather was.
This undermines the very foundation of democratic meritocracy and perpetuates the cycles of mediocrity, corruption, and underdevelopment that have plagued the nation for decades. When incompetent leaders emerge simply because they bear the right surname, policies fail, resources are mismanaged, and the people suffer.
Nigeria stands at a crossroads. The nation can continue down the path of political dynasties built on patronage and privilege, or it can insist that those who seek to lead—whether scions of political families or children of peasant farmers—must prove themselves worthy through demonstrated competence, integrity, and vision. The choice will determine whether Nigeria’s democracy matures into a system that truly serves its people or degenerates into an oligarchy where power is merely inherited, never earned.
