List: 10 Key Moments When Political Godfathers Fell Out with Their Protégés in Nigerian Politics
- Several high-profile political godfather–protégé relationships in Nigeria have collapsed after power changed hands, leading to bitter political rivalries
- The latest fallout between Kano Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and NNPP leader Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso reflects a long-standing pattern in Nigerian politics
- From Kwankwaso–Ganduje to other major political figures, these clashes often emerge as protégés seek independence from their former political benefactors
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Legit.ng's Muslim Muhammad Yusuf is a 2025 Wole Soyinka Award-winning journalist with over 8 years of experience in investigative reporting, human rights, politics, governance and accountability in Nigeria.
Kano state governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, will on Monday, January 26, 2026, officially announce his defection to the APC after parting ways with his former boss, Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso, who is the leader of the NNPP.
Governor Yusuf announced his departure from the NNPP party under which he was elected in 2023.
Source: Twitter
On Friday, Yusuf confirmed his exit, citing deepening internal conflicts and the need to prioritise development in Kano State.
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The NNPP has since faulted the move, describing it as a betrayal of the party and the voters who overwhelmingly supported Yusuf in the 2023 governorship election.
However, this is not the first time that there has been a conflict of this kind. Since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999, several political godfather–godson relationships have ended in bitter fallouts once the “son” assumed power and sought political independence.
In this article by the BBC, it took a look at some of the key moments in which the father and son clashed in Nigerian politics since 1999, when the country returned to democracy in the Fourth Republic.
1. Kwankwaso vs Ganduje (Kano State)
One of the most dramatic political fallouts in Kano State politics is between former governor and NNPP leader, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and his long-time ally, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
Ganduje was with Kwankwaso when he first became governor of Kano in 1999 as his deputy.
After Kwankwaso returned to the Kano governorship in 2011, he again appointed Ganduje as his deputy, before later nominating him for the governorship race after his term ended in 2015.
Ganduje became the governor of Kano, serving two terms between 2015 and 2023.
However, shortly after he acceded to power, differences began to arise between the two political leaders in Kano, with each party taking advantage of the other, and Kwankwaso even defected from the APC to the PDP.
2. Kwankwaso vs Abba Kabir Yusuf (Kano State)
The latest and perhaps most shocking split in Kano politics is between Senator Kwankwaso and Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.
Kwankwaso nominated Yusuf twice for the governorship — first in 2019 under the PDP (unsuccessful), and again in 2023 under the NNPP, when Yusuf defeated APC’s Nasiru Gawuna to win.
Abba Kabir was the Commissioner for Special Operations under the Kwankwaso administration in 2011.
Despite being widely seen as Kwankwaso’s political “son,” relations reportedly deteriorated over internal party control and governance direction.
Yusuf’s defection to the APC marks a major political rupture and a serious blow to Kwankwaso’s grip on Kano politics.
3. El-Rufai vs Uba Sani (Kaduna State)
Another political split that has surprised many political observers is that between the former governor of Kaduna, Nasir El-Rufai, and the incumbent governor of the state, Senator Uba Sani.
This separation can be explained as a rift between two political friends, given the role Nasiru El-Rufa'i played in winning the elections that Uba Sani contested.
Source: Twitter
Apart from El-Rufai's efforts to make Uba Sani a senator, he also actively endorsed Uba Sani as the Kaduna governorship candidate in the 2023 elections, where he won the election, and El-Rufai handed him the governorship of Kaduna State.
However, the journey did not last long. After Uba Sani took office, disagreements began between him and his close confidant, which led to El-Rufai leaving the APC and joining the SDP before later joining the ADC.
4. Wike vs Fubara (Rivers State)
Another political drama was the conflict that erupted between the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and his boss, former Governor Nyesom Wike.
It was widely believed that with Wike's help, Fubara secured the governorship ticket under the PDP in the oil-rich state, but later differences arose between them.
The differences between the two politicians plunged the state into political turmoil, leading President Tinubu to suspend Governor Fubara and declare a state of emergency in the state last year.
In late 2025, Fubara announced his defection from the PDP to the APC, a move that further exposed the rift between him and Wike, who is the Abuja minister.
5. Bola Tinubu vs Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos State)
Nigeria's current President, Bola Tinubu, who was once the political boss of Lagos State in the southwestern part of the country, once had a political rift with one of his eldest sons.
In 2015, Tinubu nominated Akinwumi Ambode for the Lagos State governorship election on the APC platform and won.
However, after he assumed the governorship of the state, which has the largest population in the country, differences began to arise.
The incident led Tinubu to withdraw his support for the governor, and in the 2019 elections, he was replaced as the APC candidate and failed to win the primary election.
6. Wike vs Amaechi (Rivers state)
Rivers State in southern Nigeria is like Kano State in the northern part of the country, in the political arena, where the political crisis in the states captures the attention of the people.
There has been a political rift between Rotimi Amaechi and Nyesom Wike, both of whom are now former governors of the state.
During Amaechi's administration between 2007 and 2015, he worked for Nyesom Wike, who then appointed him as Chief of Staff from 2007 to 2011, before being appointed as the junior minister of education.
Amaechi played a key role in ensuring Wike's gubernatorial bid and his victory under the PDP.
However, a disagreement arose between them, which led to Amaechi leaving the PPD and joining the APC.
7. Amaechi vs Odili (Rivers State)
Legit.ng noted that in Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi and his former political godfather, Peter Odili, also fell out after Amaechi emerged governor in 2007.
Amaechi gradually distanced himself from Odili’s influence, leading to political realignments and power struggles in the state.
The fallout reshaped Rivers' politics and laid the foundation for later high-profile political battles involving Amaechi, Nyesom Wike and other power brokers.
8. Godwin Obaseki vs Adams Oshiomhole (Edo State)
Former Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole played a major role in installing Godwin Obaseki as governor in 2016.
However, their relationship collapsed over control of party structures and governance direction.
The crisis led to Obaseki defecting from the APC to the PDP to secure a second term in 2020, defeating Oshiomhole-backed candidate Osagie Ize-Iyamu.
The split was one of the most dramatic political fallouts in recent Nigerian history.
9. Obasanjo vs Atiku Abubakar (Federal Level)
At the federal level, the division between Obasanjo and Atiku was one of the earliest political differences seen between a father and son in the Fourth Republic.
In 1999, Obasanjo took Atiku as his running mate when the PDP nominated him for the presidency.
They worked together until the end of their second term in 2007.
Source: Twitter
However, differences emerged between them towards the end of their term in office after Obasanjo demanded that the country's constitution be amended to allow him to run for a third term.
Atiku Abubakar was at the forefront of fighting this demand by Obasanjo, a situation that strained the relationship between the two men.
10. Shekarau and Buhari
Legit.ng also noted that former Kano State Governor, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, was once a key ally of former President Muhammadu Buhari and a major pillar of Buhari’s political base in Kano State.
Shekarau played a significant role in mobilising support for Buhari during his earlier presidential bids and was regarded as one of his strongest northern political allies.
However, their relationship later deteriorated after disagreements over party structure, appointments and political alignment, particularly within the APC. Shekarau eventually distanced himself from Buhari’s political camp, leading to a public and strategic political separation.
The split weakened their once-united political machinery in Kano and reshaped political alignments in the state and beyond.
Some political rifts that are not obvious
Apart from these obvious differences, there are other political differences that have arisen between the father and his son in the politics of their respective states.
Including the former governors of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa and Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, and the one between the former governors of Zamfara State, Senator Ahmad Sani Yarima and Mahmudu Aliyu Shinkafi.
There is also a dispute between former governors of Gombe state, Senator Danjuma Goje and Senator Ibrahim Dangwambo.
And then there was the one between the former governor of Jigawa State and former Minister of the Assembly, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, and the incumbent governor of the state, Mallam Umar Namadi. Although their differences were not public, it was even more heated between their children.
Now, Atiku has joined the ADC coalition, while his eldest son, Umaru Fintiri, who is the state governor, is with the PDP, a sign that the two politicians are not together, although the rift has not yet been resolved.
Mammoth crowd storms Kwankwaso’s Kano residence
Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that supporters of the Kwankwasiyya movement from Nasarawa Local Government Area (LGA) of Kano State on Sunday, January 26, stormed the residence of former Kano State governor and leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, in a show of solidarity amid ongoing political tensions in the state.
Kwankwaso disclosed the development in posts on his official X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook handles, where he expressed appreciation to the delegation for standing by him despite recent political setbacks affecting the party in Kano.
According to the former governor and 2023 presidential candidate of the NNPP, the visit demonstrated the courage and determination of his supporters to remain committed to the ideals of the Kwankwasiyya movement in the face of what he described as trying political circumstances.
Source: Legit.ng
