Politics is supposed to be about serving your country. But in Nigeria, where political office opens the door to vast wealth, many treat it more like a business. And for some, it’s now the family business.
L-R: Nyesom Wike, Joaquin Wike, Bola Tinubu, Jordan Wike
From lawmakers to ministers and even the president, politicians at all levels are pulling their children into the game. Here are a few of them already walking in their parents’ political footsteps.
The Tinubus
My father, your father
L-R: Seyi Tinubu, Yinka Tinubu, Bola Tinubu
Seyi Tinubu hasn’t openly declared any political ambition, but he’s been deeply involved in his father’s moves long before Bola Tinubu became president. He’s the “Grand Patron” of the City Boy Movement, a support group that says it wants to mobilise, educate, and empower Nigerian youths and women in support of Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
In early 2025, Seyi went on a Ramadan tour of Northern states where he gave the now infamous “My father, your father” speech. The tour was seen as early campaigning for 2027 and was criticised by some for treating Northerners like beggars because of the rice distribution.
Even though Seyi hasn’t said anything himself, plenty of supporters already see him as a future Lagos governor. In 2025, groups like The Future Platform USA, Friends of Seyi Tinubu (FOST), and the Coalition for the Promotion of Young African Leaders all endorsed him for the 2027 governorship race.
President Tinubu has been very intentional about including his family members in his presidency. His other son, Yinka, has been less visible but still involved. In 2024, both sons joined their father’s official delegation to Qatar.
The Wikes
They have to learn
Nyesom Wike with sons, Joaquin and Jordan, at the Asia Pacific Cities Summit and Mayors’ Forum in Dubai
Joaquin and Jordan Wike were shot into the limelight in July 2025 when reports claimed their father, Nyesom Wike, used his position as Minister of the FCT to get them 2,082 and 1,740 hectares of land, respectively in Abuja at a 99% discount.
In October 2025, they were part of his delegation to the Asia Pacific Cities Summit and Mayors’ Forum in Dubai. When people criticised him for bringing them along, Wike brushed it off, saying they needed the exposure because “they have to learn about government.”
Joaquin was practically glued to his father during recent visits to Rivers state as Wike campaigned against Sim Fubara’s reelection in 2027. Rumours even popped up that Joaquin might run for the Obio-Akpor House of Representatives seat. But at 25, he’s still five years too young according to the constitution.
2027 might be too early for the young Wikes, but clearly, their father has a plan for them.
The Umahis
I’m dangerous
Dave Umahi and Osborne Umahi
Unlike the Tinubus and Wikes, who are still playing coy, Dave Umahi has gone straight to the point with his son. In mid-January 2026, Osborne Umahi bought the ₦30 million APC local government chairmanship form.
On January 26, he was declared the winner of the party primary. He was the only candidate on the ballot. Now he’s set to contest for Chairman of Ohaozara Local Government Area (LGA) in Ebonyi come 2027.
That same day, Dave Umahi bragged about being much richer and “dangerous” now. With his son beside him, he told the people of Ebonyi to embrace him, claiming his capacity is ten times what it was when he was governor.
The Obasas
Kings of Agege
Mudashiru Obasa and Abdul-Ganiyu Obasa
Mudashiru Obasa has been representing the Agege constituency since 2007. And in November 2025, his son, Abdul-Ganiyu Obasa, became the Local Government Chairman of Agege.
Abdul-Ganiyu had been serving as Vice Chairman, but after months on medical leave, the Chairman, Tunde Azeez, officially resigned in November 2025. So Abdul-Ganiyu was sworn in. With that, the Obasa family now has near-total control of Agege politics.
The honorary mentions
Nasir El-Rufai and Bello El-Rufai
There are many other children of politicians already involved or just recently getting into Nigerian politics.
Bello El-Rufai, son of former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai, is currently a member of the federal House of Representatives. He won the election to represent Kaduna North in 2023.
Marilyn Okowa-Daramola, daughter of former Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, serves in the state’s House of Assembly. She won the election in 2023.
Sule Lamido and Mustapha Sule Lamido
Mustapha Sule Lamido, son of former Jigawa State governor Sule Lamido, has not been as successful as his counterparts. He contested for a senatorial seat in 2019 and lost. Then he tried to follow in his father’s footsteps and contested for the Jigawa governorship in 2023 and lost again. The expectation is for him to try again in 2027.
I am your father
Godfatherism is one of the many undesirable, yet deeply rooted, characteristics of Nigerian politics. Older, established politicians love to handpick younger successors to allow them to essentially govern by proxy long after they have exhausted their constitutional term limits.
Bola Tinubu and Akinwunmi Ambode
But it’s not always a smooth ride. Sometimes the godchild is not so obedient. For example, disputes between Akinwunmi Ambode and Bola Tinubu eventually led to the APC denying Ambode a second term. More recently, the long and very public battle between Nyesom Wike and Sim Fubara is a perfect example of just how wrong things can go between a political godfather and his godson.
Siminalayi Fubara and Nyesom Wike
Wike, now apparently grooming his biological sons, gives us a peek into the thinking driving some of Nigeria’s politicians. If political godchildren cannot be trusted, the only people they can really count on might be their own children. But even that isn’t a guarantee.
The prodigal sons
Some children choose to forge their own paths, refusing to let their parents’ political fate dictate theirs. For example, Bello El-Rufai has remained firmly in the APC, even though his father, Nasir El-Rufai, had a very ugly parting of ways with the party and defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in late 2025.
Abba Abubakar
More recently, Abba Abubakar, son of Atiku Abubakar, shocked everyone in January 2026 by defecting to the APC. He didn’t just switch sides; he went all in, saying: “Nobody or any political party can stop President Bola Tinubu from returning to Aso Rock come 2027.” You have to think that broke Atiku’s heart a little.
So, even biological children don’t always do what’s expected. If these heirs are going to be our future leaders, Nigerians must really hope that more of them decide not to be exactly like their parents.
Sins of the fathers…
If these political nepo babies turn out anything like their parents, Nigerians are in for a long and frustrating ride. Some of these fathers have very long rap sheets.
Bola Tinubu
- Forfeited $460,000 to the US government after an investigation into a white-heroin trafficking ring in Chicago in 1993.
- Hands out government contracts to his friend and associate, Gilbert Chagoury, including the ₦15 trillion Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, which was awarded without open, competitive bidding.
- Blamed peaceful protesters for the Lekki Tollgate massacre during EndSARS, saying those who were shot needed to “answer some questions” and asking “what type of characters were they?”
- Kidnapping for ransom has exploded under his presidency, with billions of Naira now being paid annually.
- Leading an executive accused of forging tax reform laws after the National Assembly had already passed them.
Nyesom Wike
- Accused of diverting $300 million meant for oil-impacted communities in Ogoniland while governor of Rivers State.
- Allegedly allocated over 3,800 hectares of land to his children at a 99% discount.
- Abuja has become more unsafe under him, with rising armed robberies, kidnappings and “one-chance” incidents.
- The city is dirtier and has experienced prolonged strikes by teachers and health workers.
- His poor management has triggered strikes and protests by Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) workers.
Dave Umahi
- Investigated by the EFCC in 2016 for laundering ₦400 million linked to Diezani Alison-Madueke.
- Criticised by the Ogoni people for commissioning an incomplete section of the East-West road.
- Slammed by the House of Representatives for trying to share bags of rice instead of focusing on his job as Minister of Works. One lawmaker said if Umahi really wanted to give them a gift, he should build at least one kilometre of road in their constituencies.
- Over four years, a minister’s legal salary is just over ₦50 million, while a governor’s is around ₦40 million. So Umahi claiming he is now ten times bigger and capable of “funding anything” feels like a self-report.
Mudashiru Obasa
- In 2020, EFCC froze his bank accounts over diversion of funds, money laundering and abuse of office, including awarding contracts to companies owned by his family members.
- Signed Governor Sanwo-Olu’s ₦4.44 trillion 2026 Budget, which set aside ₦20.6 billion for lawmakers to buy new cars and ₦212 million for just 20 office tables and chairs.
- In January 2025, fellow lawmakers in the Lagos State Assembly impeached him over allegations of misappropriation, high-handedness and lack of transparency. But an intervention by the APC’s Governance Advisory Council (GAC) brought him back.
The next generation
When these fathers say their children “have to learn about government,” Nigerians have to wonder exactly which lessons are being passed down. And honestly, we should be very worried. Nigerian politicians turning governance into a family business should horrify us. We do not need their children doing whatever daddy tells them, especially when those daddies have a legacy of corruption and poor governance.
Nigerians need to realise the power they hold. If our democracy morphs into a monarchy of political dynasties, it is because we allowed it. In 2027 and beyond, Nigerians will have to decide: keep it in the family, or finally demand a new generation of politicians.
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