Godfatherism, party opposition, party coalition, and party disunity in Nigeria: a study of Kwara State from 1999 to 2015

The article investigates the action and character that surrounded electing leaders in Kwara State, Nigeria. From the research findings of related studies reviewed in the present paper, it is argued that leadership selection in Nigeria is determined by political godfathers. In Kwara State, which is the case study in this article, political participation and contestation were often determined and controlled by Senator Abubakar Olusola Saraki. After the death of Olusola Saraki, his son, Senator Bukola Saraki became the political leader. The godfather-son relationship is instrumental in hand-picking electoral candidates that are loyal to the patron-client system. This is because the electoral candidates that contested for the position through the godfather/leader always won elections through their political networks. However, recently, the struggle for power among the elites has made the contestation for leadership positions intense. Over the years, the incumbent political party has either decamped to a new party or formed a grand coalition with the opposition political parties because of party internal disputes. The article submits that the unethical patron-client practice has largely frustrated the democratic process between 1999 and 2015. The effort of the opposition political parties to take over power from the incumbent party (then PDP) has been met with frustration, especially with the slow and poor judgment from the Electoral Tribunal Courts. In view of this, there is a strong political opposition after the inauguration of democracy in Kwara State but the electoral power has not been changed within the period. Therefore, the findings from the respondents were analysed by the data gathered from the survey and interview schedule.