The 2023 House of Assembly and Governorship elections had children of prominent Nigerians clinching elective posts and following in the footsteps of their parents. Shade Wesley-Metibogun presents some of the winners and losers of the election:
Marilyn Okowa-Daramola
Barrister Marilyn Okowa-Daramola, daughter of Delta State Governor and Vice Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, emerged winner of the Delta State House of Assembly election, representing the Ika North/East Constituency on the platform of the PDP.
Okowa’s daughter, who was hell bent on clinching the seat, used every available tactic to ensure she emerged victorious at the election conducted on Saturday by the Independent National Electoral Commission. She scored 5,035 votes out of the 5,298 valid votes in the Constituency. Her victory came on the heels of a video which surfaced online where she was pleading with members of the Peter Obi led Labour Party to vote for her. She gathered youths within her constituency who were loyal to the Labour Party and begged them not to vote for their party but to cast their votes for her.
Before her foray into politics, she was the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the Governor of Delta State on Girl Child Empowerment. She directed the activities of the Girl Child Empowerment Office from July 2019 to March 2022 positively impacting thousands of lives directly, and tens of thousands indirectly, thereby setting a new standard for project execution in Delta State.
Oladipo Ajomale
The son of Henry Ajomale, a former Commissioner for Special Duties in Lagos State, is gradually establishing himself as a politician of repute. He decided to walk in the footsteps of his father by signifying interest to contest for the House of Assembly seat in Oshodi/Isolo constituency II. He was among candidates announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as winner of the Lagos State House of Assembly seat under the platform of the All Progressives Congress. APC won 38 out of the 40 seats in the Lagos State House of Assembly at the Saturday’s state assembly elections in the state.
Kasope Abolarin
He is the son of Orangun of Oke-Ila, Oba Adedokun Abolarin. Kasope is a 27-year medical doctor who decided to try his hands in politics for the first time and was successful. Abolarin contested the Osun State House of Assembly Election, representing Ifedayo Constituency, on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. He defeated the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to emerge victorious. His emergence at the polls makes him the youngest lawmaker in the Osun State Assembly.
Mohammed Abacha
Mohammed Abacha, the eldest son of the late Military head of state, Sani Abacha lost his governorship ambition for Kano State on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. This will be the second time he would suffer defeat at the polls.
Abacha’s candidacy has been enmeshed in different court cases which made him miss the 2023 general election. During his party’s primary election, two parallel primaries were held which led to the emergence of two candidates, Abacha and Sadiq Wali.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) first declared Abacha as the candidate for his party but later published Wali’s name as the party’s legitimate flag bearer. The confusion caused by INEC made him to go for legal redress. He won the case and the court then declared him the duly elected governorship candidate of the PDP in Kano. However, Wali, appealed the judgment which led to his sack by the Appeal Court while declaring Wali the party’s legitimate candidate for the governorship poll in Kano.
Abacha had to run to the Supreme Court for a final decision on the dispute. However, the crisis which characterized the candidacy of the party made the party’s followers become stranded. In 2015, he contested for Kano governorship election under the Advanced Peoples Democratic Alliance (APDA) but lost to Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of the All Progressives Congress.
Rasheed Kashamu
He is the son of late Buruji Kashamu, a former senator who represented Ogun East at the eighth assembly but died in 2020 due to complications from COVID-19. No doubt, the late politician passed the baton to his 26 year-old son. Rasheed contested the Ogun State House of Assembly Election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, representing the Ijebu North Constituency 1 in Ogun State. He polled a total of 10,004 votes to defeat the incumbent member of the seat Sylvester Abiodun, also known as Sly, of the All Progressives Congress. The younger Kashamu will probably be the youngest House of Assembly Member in Ogun state in the dispensation. He has a B.Sc in International Business and Management from Brunel University, London. And also a Master of Science degree in International Finance and Investment from the University of Surrey, England.
Ibrahim Bello Mohammed
Ibrahim Bello Mohammad more popularly referred to as IBM is the son of the former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Bello Mohammed Haliru, and younger brother to the late Barrister Abba Bello Mohammed. The 27 year old who is set to become the youngest lawmaker was declared the winner of the Birnin-Kebbi, Kalgo and Bunza Federal Constituency election. Ibrahim who contested on the platform of PDP polled a total of 50,781 votes to defeat his opponents, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Muktar Bunza, who scored 37,478, and Bello Relisco of Social Democratic Party (SDP) who scored 7,880.
Mustapha Lamido
The son of the immediate past governor of Jigawa State and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Sule Lamido, joined the league of children of prominent Nigerians to vie for political positions in 2023. Mustapha contested for the governorship seat in the state under the PDP.
Having done a good job in the administration of the state, former Governor Lamido wanted the state to be handed over to a reliable successor which is why his son took up the challenge. However, he lost to his opponent, Umar Namadi of the All Progressive Congress, APC. Namadi, the winner of the election is the incumbent Deputy Governor of Jigawa state before he became the Governor elect.
Ladi Adebutu
Ladi Adebutu, the first son of billionaire businessman, Chief Kessington Adebutu, suffered political loss at the just concluded Governorship election in Ogun State. The former member of the Federal House of Representatives lost to the incumbent governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun of the All Progressive Congress, APC.
Abiodun was declared winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission’s returning officer, Kayode Adebowale. He scored a total of 276,298 votes to emerge the winner while Adebutu polled 262,383 votes to come second, trailing the winner with 13,915 votes.
The 60-year-old governorship candidate was highly disappointed in the outcome of the election despite the efforts he put in to ensure he emerged victorious. He had to put the difference he had with one of his political rivals, Segun Showumi aside while seeking a joint effort from the chieftain to win the election. After the winner was announced, he led his team to INEC’s office to protest the result of the election while calling for a re-run election in the state.
Salihu Yakasai
Salihu Yakasai, son of frontline northern elder statesman and politician, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, lost at the governorship poll to Abba Yusuf, of the New Nigerian Peoples Party, NNPP. Ahmad Ibrahim, INEC’s returning officer announced Yusuf as the winner of the election after scoring 1,019,602 votes to defeat other candidates. This is the second time that Salihu will be suffering public humiliation in politics. A former Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, he was sacked for criticising the Muhammadu Buhari Administration. His second defeat is the loss he suffered at the polls which many claimed was caused by defecting from the APC to the People’s Redemption Party.
Idris Ajimobi
Idris, the son of late former governor and Senator, Abiola Ajimobi lost his attempt to represent the Ibadan South West Constituency II election last Saturday. He lost to Oluwafemi Fowokanmi, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who was declared winner of the election held across the constituency. It seems that the younger Ajimobi has come to the end of his political career with his loss at the polls. He was given the party’s primary ticket on a platter of gold after he emerged the consensus candidate for his party.
