A chieftain of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), in Ekiti state, Mr. Dayo Ashaolu, has stated why out-going governors usually abandon their deputies while searching for their successors.
Speaking exclusively with Blueprint Weekend on why most outgoing governors are torn between picking their deputies and loyalists to succeed them, he said one of the reasons incumbents usually look the other way could be lack of trust.
Asahaolu said further that many of the governors and their deputies hardly knew each other before they got to the seat, stressing that some deputies were imposed on the governors by party leaders.
He said, “It’s either because of where he comes from or whether or not he represents some godfather; in a situation like this the governor may not want such a deputy to succeed him.
“Let’s look at our immediate family; it is not all your brothers you can boast off that will manage your property very well if you are out of town.
“Again, some governors are so greedy that they want to eat the state cake alone with little or none for their deputies; such governors may be reluctant to hand over to their deputies in order to avoid a probe.”
Not done yet, the SDP publicity secretary noted that, “Age is another factor which if it’s not on the side of the deputy governor, it would not allow for power to pass to the deputy.
“Take Ekiti state, for example, you don’t expect Fayemi to hand over to his deputy governor who is already over 70 years old.”
Adebayo said further that “competency is another factor,” adding that “some deputy governors may not be competent enough to go ahead with the good job of their bosses and so such governors will look for a better candidate.”
He also said “rotation may not favour some deputies, especially where rotation is key to how the state is governed.
“Not only that, the population of the deputy’s constituency may also hinder him from succeeding his boss. We have seen an instance where the deputy came from the minority with lesser votes and he was not considered.
“And finally, party or party leaders’ decisions can sometimes serve as an obstacle to some deputies’ quest to succeed their bosses.”
Suspicion
Also, in an exclusive chat with this reporter, a stalwart of the
All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo state, Adebowale Laditi, noted that
the relationships between most governors and their deputies “are suspicious and not too tight politically.”
According to him, they never trust each other enough for possible recommendations for higher positions.
Laditi said deputy governors in most cases were products of party imposition, stressing, “The governors have always been at a crossroads when it comes to picking successors, especially if their deputies are interested. But the funniest thing is that at the end of the day, they (governors) will have their ways as against their ‘spare tyres’ (deputies’) interest.”
Godfatherism, disloyalty
Asked for his opinion on the matter, an analyst at S&D Management Limited, Gabriel Idakolo, said most governors had several reasons they didn’t endorse their deputies.
“But major amongst them are party positions on zoning, agreements reached with godfathers or sponsors before becoming the governor and majorly because the deputies are perceived to know too much and might be difficult to control which has happened in some states in time past.
For Olamilekan Adefolarin, a political economist, mistrust and disloyalty are amongst the several factors that could make an out-going governor not to endorse his deputy to take over from him.
He told Blueprint Weekend exclusively that, “Our understanding of contemporary party politics in Nigeria, especially with the advent of the Fourth Republic in 1999, and the do-or-die syndrome, there is supposed to be a democratic process that will ensure continuity in governance.
“However, mistrust and disloyalty have always crept up to cause disagreements amongst party members. Majorly, this occurs between governors and their deputies.
“Fundamentally, for many of them, endorsing them is like self-inflicted poisoning. Nonetheless, the Nigerian is not against governors endorsing their deputies, but one can understand this could also be a plot to allow somebody that would succeed them to cover up the mess they might have created.”
Corrupt dealings
As far as the national coordinator of the APC Professional Forum (APC-PF), Comrade Akeem Akintayo, is concerned most governors do not trust their deputies to cover their dirty deals when they leave office.
He said naturally, deputy governors were frontrunners as a result of continuity of great ideas and programmes, but greed and corruption usually lead to conflicts among governors and their deputies.
“It’s a matter of interest by politicians in the corridors of power. Unfortunately, many incumbent governors do not value loyalty and capacity. They rather focus more on who can cover their tracks.
“Overtime it has been revealed that most deputies who take over from their predecessors cannot be trusted to keep the dirty secrets of the bosses. I think this is the main reason many Nigerian governors or political leaders do not want their deputies to succeed them. A case study is the relationship between Obasanjo and Atiku.
“These deputies know too much of their respective bosses and their corrupt dealings; in that case the chief executive declines support to their second-in- command. It is typical of the Nigerian political scenario.
“Most Nigerians go to politics for the sole purpose of dirty dealings instead of service to the Nigerian people. In advanced political scenarios, deputy governors are the frontrunners to succeed their bosses for continuity of development ideas and programmes. Continuity is the bedrock of sustainable development goals,” he said.
Also, speaking exclusively to Blueprint Weekend, a former commissioner in Ekiti state, Mr. Lanre Ogunsuyi, said deputy governors were a creation of the Constitution, but that it was left for the governors who “see them as irritants that must be tolerated.”
Ogunsuyi, who served under former governor Ayo Fayose, also said; “Over the years, there is usually a cold war between them and so relationships are at the lowest ebb in addition to distrust which is why they shop elsewhere.”
“Erosion of trust over the years often ruins earlier agreements for succession.”
