10 Most Powerful Politicians In Nigeria Today.

 By Charles Segun Adegbite 

Power is transient. This present political season in Nigeria is actually proving this statement to be true. Since the exist of President Muhammadu Buhari from the Aso Rock Villa, a lot of people have lost power. Those people who were boasting of being in charge yesterday, calling groaning masses "wailing wailers", are now out of the corridors of power and becoming less relevant in the society. 

   With the swearing in of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria on May 29, and the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly on Tuesday, June 13, a new set of men of power have emerged. And more are still emerging. 

Some people have been put in certain powerful positions through elections, selection or appointments, which made them to become more powerful than others. 

Who are the powerful politicians in Nigeria today? Of course, They are many. But the top 10 among them are unveiled below; based on the power and responsibility allocated to the office each of them is occupying.    

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu

As the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, he is the head of The Presidency, which is the most influential institution in Nigeria. This makes him the most powerful person and most influential politician in the country today.

President Tinubu is a successful America trained accountant, an astute investor, outstanding captain of industry, management expert and seasoned administrator.

He is also a consummate politician who had been a senator (1992-1993), two terms governor of Lagos State (1999-2007), the founder of the Action Congress, AC, cofounder of Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, and the All Progressives Congress, APC. He has also raised a lot of powerful men and still have many of them in top positions in the country today.

He is therefore a man of great influence who understands what power really means and how to use it effectively. 

Of course, he has been proving this to the world from the moment he was inaugurated as President.

Senator Kashim Shettima

A banker, former university lecturer, politician, and current Vice President of Nigeria. He is the second most powerful man in the country today. 

An erstwhile governor of Borno State(2011- 2019) and former Senator (2019-2023).

 He was presented for governorship election by the All Nigeria People's Party, ANPP, in February 2011, after the candidate who emerged for the governorship in the ANPP January 2011 primaries was killed by gunmen.  He won the election and thereby became Borno State Governor. He was reelected in 2015, and was in charge till 2019.

   He thereafter ran for the Senate and became a Senator (2019-2023). He was on his second term bid when Asiwaju Tinubu chose him to be his running mate for this year presidential election.

As the No.2 Citizen in Nigeria today, with his Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) award bestowed on him on 25 May 2023, he has become the second most powerful politician in Nigeria since he was sworn in on May 29.

 

Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio 

This new President of the Senate of Nigeria, is the No.3 Citizen and third most powerful man in the country today.

  Akpabio, a lawyer and politician, is  a former minister for Niger Delta Affairs (2019 to 2022). He was the minority leader of the Senate(2015 -2018), and had been the governor of Cross Rivers State for eight years(2007- 2015) before he was elected senator in 2015. 

   He had been a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, from the beginning and even emerged as the Chairman of the PDP Governors' Forum in 2013 but in 2018 he joined the APC.

  With his election as the President of The Senate he is the third most powerful politician in the country today.

Rt Hon Tajudeen Abbas

  This new Speaker of House of Representatives is Nigeria No.4 Citizen and fourth most powerful politician in this most populous African country in the world today.

   Abbas, born 1 October 1963, is a Nigerian academic and politician. He is a prince with the traditional title of the Iyan Zazzau. He holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Business Administration from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, in 1988 and 1993 respectively.

    Until his emergence as the Speaker, Abbas was the Chairman, House Committee for Land Transport.

 

    Senator Oluremi Tinubu

 A former senator and seasoned politician, Mrs Tinubu is the First Lady in Nigeria, being the Wife of the President. She succeeded Mrs Aishat Buhari on May 29, 2023. 

     A holder of the national award of the Officer of the Order of Niger, OON,is a three terms Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (2011-2023). She represented Lagos Central Senatorial District, as a member of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, and later All Progressives Congress (APC) after its merger with other parties in 2013.

     She was the first lady of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007 when her husband was governor of the State. She is also Grand Matron of the Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials (COWLSO).

   As a first lady in Nigeria who knows her onions, she is the most powerful woman in the country today. Her office gives her  access not only to all first ladies in Africa but beyond. And her influence would soon be extended to women organisations  and women in top leadership positions across Africa and the world, subject to Nigeria's diplomatic relationship with those nations of the world.

 Rt. Hon. Femi Hakeem Gbajabiamila

He is the Chief of Staff, CoS, to the President of Nigeria. By virtue of his responsibilities and power vested in him, he is the manager /administrative head of The Office of The President. 

That office is the number one among the top five institutional offices in The Presidency. 

Consequently, the President's office is Nigeria's seat of power and most powerful institution in the country, where all other Offices take directives from. 

That means, Rt. Hon Gbajabiamila is the No.1 Political appointee in Nigeria today. Although the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, is the third in rank in the Executive Arm of Government, whose office is the next to the Vice President, however, the CoS wields a lot of influence because he is the closest adviser to the President, and the one who manages President's office, controls the flow of information into the President's office and people's access to  the President . All these make him to be the most powerful non elected public officer in Nigeria today.

  Born on 25 June 1962, Gbajabiamila is a lawyer, politician and immediate past Speaker of House of Representatives, He has been in the green chamber since 1999, courtesy of the continuous support he enjoys from his political godfather, Asiwaju Tinubu, and his own loyalty to the man in return, in addition to his competence in the job, which made him to be one of the most experienced lawmakers in Nigeria today. 

Senator George Akume 

This Secretary to the Government of the Federation is the Head of the Office of The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, whose position and office is the third institutional office in the The Presidency, next to the Office of The Vice President.   

From the moment he took oath of office on June 7, 2023 and succeeded Mr Boss Mustapha, he got the power to monitor and coordinate Government policies and programmes, serve as frontline advisory institution of the Presidency and drive policy formulation, harmonization, and implementation; and monitor institutions of governance. 

His office is also the engine room /secretariat of the National Council of State, Federal Executive Council, and other constitutional Councils which are chaired by the President or Vice President, among other numerous responsibilities and mandates. 

 Born 27 December 1953, Senator Akume is a former minister of Special Duties and Inter-governmental Affairs under President Muhammadu Buhari from 2019 to 2023. 

 He is the Senator who represented Benue North-West Senatorial District from 2007 to 2019. He served as the Minority Leader of the Senate from June 2011 to June 2015, when he joined the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN. He got reelected into the Senate under the platform APC, after ACN merged with other parties to form the APC. . 

Before his election into the senate, he had served as the governor of Benue State from May 1999 to May 2007

With his appointment as the SGF, Akume is another high ranking politician and a very powerful Nigerian today.

Senator Jibrin Barau

This deputy president of the Nigerian Senate is second highest-ranking officer in the Senate of Nigeria, after the President of the Senate. 

As the deputy president, he has the power to preside over The Senate in the absence of the senate president. This shows how influential he is in Nigeria today.

A holder of Bachelor's degree in Accounting and Master's degree in Financial Management, was a commissioner and later House of Representatives member.

He joined The Senate in 2015 representing Kano North Senatorial District under the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC. He became the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources(Downstream) in that 2015.

 He was later appointed as the Chairman Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETfund in 2016.

Hon Benjamin Kalu

He is the Deputy Speaker of the House  of Representatives. Since he is the next in rank to the Speaker of the House, that makes him to be among the top 10 influential Nigeria politicians today.

Kalu who is representing Bende Federal Constituency in Abia State, was a local government chairman in his Bende LGA, Abia State, at age 31. 

 He was later appointed the Special Adviser to the Governor of Abia State, Governor Orji Uzor Kalu on two occasions for two different ministries.

Senator Abdullahi Adamu

      A lawyer and seasoned politician, Adamu is the current chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC, since March 2022. His party is the biggest and ruling party in Nigeria; and that makes him to be the most influential politician among chairmen of all the political parties in Nigeria today.

   Adamu had been the Secretary, Board of Trustees (BOT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2009. 

  With over 45years experience in party politics, Adamu first entered politics in 1977, and was elected to the Constituent Assembly, which drafted the 1979 Constitution for Nigeria's Second Republic (1979–1983). 

    A pioneer member of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN), he was the first Secretary-General of the NPN in Plateau State from December 1978, and chairman of the NPN in the Plateau from 1982 to 1983.

  Since then he has been holding one political office or another.     Apart from being a member of the Constitutional Conference that drafted the Nigeria 1999 Constitution for this fourth republic in 1994, he was a Minister of State for Works and Housing between 1995 and 1997 during Gen Sani Abacha's regime. 

   A foundation member of the PDP in 1998 and two-term governor of Nasarawa State(1999 - 2007), Adamu later got elected to the Senate in 2011 and became a Senator for Nasarawa West Senatorial district until he joined the APC later.

  Since he joined the APC he has been using his wealth of experience in the past leading political parties in Nigeria like: NPN, CNPP and PDP to strengthen the APC.

Without mincing words Adamu stands out among the top politicians in Nigeria today, having always been in the ruling party since 1979 till date, and still holding most relevant position in Nigeria's ruling party today.