In January 8, 2026, Rivers State lawmakers launched their third attempt to impeach Governor Siminalayi Fubara, the latest explosion in a power struggle with his predecessor, Nyesom Wike. But this isn't just another political crisis. It's the clearest window yet into political godfatherism, a system that has defined Nigerian democracy since 1999.

In this episode, we trace how wealthy patrons use money, influence, and violence to install governors, then demand control over state resources in return. We explore the colonial-era roots of patron-client politics, the 1999 transition that supercharged godfatherism, and the brutal conflicts in Anambra, Oyo, Lagos, and Rivers that reveal a pattern: every generation of leaders reproduces the cycle, installing godsons who inevitably seek to become godfathers themselves.

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