El-Rufai, Sunny Ade, David Mark, Alaafin: Nigeria’s “silver-spoon” lawmakers

The 360-member House of Representatives is often cast as the “people’s chamber,”  the chamber of the National Assembly closer to the grassroots, where teachers, lawyers, traders, doctors, and activists rub shoulders to legislate.

However, a closer look at the 10th House (2023–2027) reveals the presence of lawmakers with prominent family names, dynastic ties, and elite networks.

Walk into the expansive chamber, and you will not only find the usual mix of first-time politicians, grassroots organisers, and career public servants, but you will also run into the sons, daughters, wives, and even nephews of Nigeria’s political elite.

Some inherited their fathers’ campaign machines, others carry the surnames of former governors or senate presidents, while a few rode into the chamber with the strength of marital ties. Lawmakers with ties to powerful political families occupy at least 12 seats in the House.

Regina Akume,70, (APC, Gboko/Tarka, Benue State)

Regina Akume’s victory in 2023 turned heads in Benue and across Nigeria.

She is the wife of George Akume, a three-term senator, former governor of Benue, Senate minority leader, minister of Special Duties, and now Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF). Mr Akume was governor on the PDP ticket, while his wife represents the state’s Gboko/Tarka Federal Constituency on the APC ticket.

Mr Akume has been a kingmaker in Benue politics for over two decades. His control of structures in Benue North-west Senatorial District and his long-standing relationship with the All Progressives Congress (APC) national hierarchy are believed to have contributed to Mrs Akume’s victory.

She has a surname that rings loudly in Middle Belt politics. Her contest against John Dyegh, a seasoned PDP lawmaker, might have seemed daunting for a first-timer, but with the “Akume” machinery behind her, Mrs Akume snatched the seat.

A trained teacher and businesswoman before entering politics, Mrs Akume’s candidacy combined her husband’s clout with her personal visibility as a community mobiliser.

However, she has tried to convert influence into performance: boreholes, road projects, free medical outreach, and a skills acquisition centre.

She currently chairs the Committee on the National Agency for Food, Drugs, Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

One notable motion she moved was on counterfeit drug regulation.

Bello El-Rufai, 37, (APC, Kaduna North, Kaduna State)

As the eldest son of Nasir El-Rufai, former FCT minister (2003–2007) and two-term governor of Kaduna State (2015–2023), the younger El-Rufai’s path to the National Assembly was lined with both expectation and scepticism.

His father is a household name nationwide, known for his technocratic style, polarising governance, and deep connections within the APC. His years of dominance of Kaduna politics created a fertile ground for junior El-Rufai’s rise.

Constituents who trusted the El-Rufai name or owed political loyalty to the father easily transferred that allegiance to his son.

With degrees in political science and international relations from the United States, the younger El-Rufai worked briefly in the banking sector before joining politics.

He contested the Kaduna North seat under the APC in 2023 and won convincingly, defeating older and arguably more experienced candidates.

He was immediately entrusted with chairing the House Committee on Banking Regulations, a powerful position rarely given to first-term lawmakers.

Mr El-Rufai sponsored a bill to provide for the appointment of judges by state governors on the recommendation of the State Judicial Service Commission, to aid in the speedy dispensation of justice.

He also sponsored the Child’s Rights Act 2003 (Amendment) Bill, seeking to amend the Child’s Rights Act to stop the maltreatment of children by parents, teachers, counsellors, legal guardians, and juvenile correctional centres and other related matters.

Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu, 45, (APC, Ethiope West/East, Delta State)

Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu, a first-time member of the House, is the daughter of former Governor James Ibori of Delta State.

Delta State politics cannot be discussed without mentioning her father, the second civilian governor of the oil-rich state. Mr Ibori ran the state from 1999 to 2007 on the PDP ticket.

Before and during his governorship, Mr Ibori was involved in business, especially oil logistics and downstream/upstream trading. He had also been involved in the media business. Mr Ibori published the Diet newspaper, which later evolved into the Daily Independent newspaper.

In 2012, Mr Ibori pleaded guilty before a court in the United Kingdom to charges including money laundering, conspiracy to defraud, and forgery, and was sentenced to 13 years’ imprisonment. He was released in December 2016 after serving four years.

Despite his conviction abroad, Mr Ibori remained a kingmaker in Delta politics. His political dynasty has produced at least two governors – Emmanuel Uduaghan and Ifeanyi Okowa.

Many attribute Mrs Ibori-Suenu’s election into the lower chamber of the National Assembly in 2023 to her father’s political strength. The University of Houston-trained economist had served in the Delta State House of Assembly before moving to the Green Chamber in 2023.

Initially elected under the Peoples Democracy Party (PDP), she defected to the APC after the inauguration, citing the need to align with federal power.

She currently chairs the House Committee on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and recently moved a motion concerning security challenges in the Delta (Urhobo area), highlighting loss of lives and displacement of residents.

Blessing Onuh,49, (APC, Otukpo/Ohimini, Benue State)

Blessing Onuh is the daughter of David Mark, Nigeria’s longest-serving senate president (2007 to 2015).

Mrs Onuh was elected to the lower chamber in 2019 on the APGA ticket but defected to the APC in 2020.

Her father was first elected senator for Benue South in 1999, and re-elected three more times in 2003, 2007, and 2011. He became Senate president in June 2007 and held that office until 2015. Mr Mark is royalty in Benue politics. He recently resigned from the PDP and is currently the national chairman of the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC).

He is a retired general and former minister of communications. He was also the military governor of Niger State from 1984 to 1986.

Although Mrs Onuh was first elected to the House in 2019 on the ticket of APGA when her father was still a PDP member, her rise to the House arguably underscores how powerful surnames travel across political platforms: In Benue, the “Mark” name still opens doors in party primaries and community halls.

Before her election, she served as special adviser to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister and contested under APGA before defecting to the APC in 2021.

Her election and current chairing of the House Committee on Land Transportation are believed by some to be linked to the political structures and goodwill built by her father.

Olumide Osoba, 48, (APC, Abeokuta North/Obafemi-Owode/Odeda, Ogun State)

Olumide Osoba is no stranger to the National Assembly. The fourth-term lawmaker was first elected to the House in 2007 and re-elected in 2011, 2019, and 2023.

He is the son of former two-time Ogun State Governor Segun Osoba, whose name still carries enormous weight in Ogun politics. He was governor first, from 1992 to 1993 during the Nigerian Third Republic on the ticket of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP), and then from 1999 to 2003 on the platform of the Alliance for Democracy (AD).

He is a founding member of the APC, a respected elder in the South-west, a veteran journalist, editor, and political godfather. He controls significant patronage and has close ties with President Bola Tinubu.

His son, Olumide, who was schooled in the UK and has a background in media business, established his own company, Prime Logistics, which is involved in haulage (transport), the hospitality value chain, and real estate. In doing so, he mentored employees from a variety of backgrounds.

The younger Osoba currently chairs the House Committee on Justice. His re-election in 2023 sustained the Osoba dynasty in Ogun politics.

In many ways, he is a “silver-spoon” politician: well-educated, well-connected, and shielded from the rougher edges of political competition.

He currently chairs the House Committee on Justice and previously chaired the sports committee in the Ninth House.

He has sponsored a bill to establish Oba Obafemi vocational skills and entrepreneurship university in Owode and moved a motion to provide security for judicial officers.

Olamijuwonlo Alao-Akala, 40, (APC, Ogbomoso North/South/Oriire, Oyo State)

As the son of the late Adebayo Alao-Akala, former governor of Oyo State (2006–2011), Olamijuwon’s career has been a steady climb up the political ladder.

His father served briefly as deputy governor to Rashidi Ladoja, the current Olubadan of Ibadan, before ascending to the governorship position on the PDP platform.

Before his foray into politics, the elder Alao-Akala was a police officer, rising to the rank of assistant commissioner of police. He also served as chairman of Ogbomoso North Local Government.

The younger Alao-Akala followed his path early, winning election as chairman of Ogbomoso North Local Government. In 2023, he secured a seat in the House and currently chairs the House Committee on Youth in Parliament. He is among the cohort trying to represent “young voices” in Nigeria’s legislature.

Adegboyega Adefarati, 60, (APC, Akoko South-east/South-west, Ondo State)

Adegboyega Adefarati is the son of the late Adebayo Adefarati, Ondo’s governor from 1999 to 2003. Though his father served only one term, he was a respected politician in Ondo with a strong grassroots base in the Akoko part of the South-west state. The former governor was the presidential candidate of the AD when he died in 2007 at the age of 76.

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To be sure, in parts of Ondo, especially Akoko, many older voters continue to identify with the Adefarati legacy. This arguably gives his son a sentimental and structural edge, especially in party primaries and grassroots mobilisation.

Before going to the National Assembly, he served as a state commissioner, which gave him experience in governance and state-level bureaucracy and connected him with local power brokers and party executives.

He now chairs the House Committee on Labour, Employment and Productivity.

Babajimi Benson, 53, (APC, Ikorodu, Lagos)

In Lagos, Olujimi Benson represents another thread of Nigeria’s political aristocracy.

He is a grand-nephew of Theophilus Owolabi Shobowale (TOS) Benson, Nigeria’s first minister of information in the First Republic (1960–1966), a nationalist lawyer, fiery orator, and one of Lagos’ most respected nationalist politicians.

Before independence, in 1950, TOS was elected to the Lagos Town Council and later became the deputy mayor of Lagos. He was a close ally of Nnamdi Azikiwe.

He was a Member of Parliament for Lagos as a member of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC), one of the country’s earliest dominant political parties.

One of the Bensons, Demola Benson, also served as Secretary to the Lagos State Government (SSG) under Governor Lateef Jakande (1979–1983) during the Second Republic. Bobby Benson, a popular musician, was another extended member of the family.

Mr Jimi Benson’s family heritage arguably gave him both prestige and networks.

Jimi Benson studied law and served in various professional and consulting roles. He also worked with the LSDPC. At age 31, he became Company Secretary/Legal Adviser and was later Non-Executive Director at Lekki Freetrade Zone. He had worked in law firms, Ecobank PLC, Lead Bank PLC, and the United Nations (legal officer).

He was first elected to the House in 2015 for the Ikorodu Federal Constituency under the APC and re-elected in 2019 and 2023. He currently chairs the House Committee on Defence.

He sponsored the “Defence Research & Development Bureau Bill,” which received presidential assent. The bill, now an Act, is part of his legislative contributions towards strengthening the Armed Forces of Nigeria through innovative, robust, and strategic research that will transform the Nigerian military into a world-class body.

He has pushed for strengthening the Defence Industries Corporation (DICON), including a bill to make it more self-sustaining and move toward a Military Industrial Complex (MIC).

He also sponsored the “Armed Forces Ranches and Farms Scheme Bill” to combine defence functions with food security and livelihoods.

His committee summoned the heads of security agencies over non-patronage of the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON).

Khadija Abba-Ibrahim, 58, (APC, Damaturu/Gulani/Gujba/Tarmuwa, Yobe State)

Khadija Abba-Ibrahim is the wife of Bukar Abba Ibrahim, a three-term Yobe State governor and later senator. She is also the daughter of Waziri Ibrahim, a prominent Second Republic politician and Great Nigeria People’s Party (GNPP) presidential candidate in 1979 and 1983.

Mr Waziri rose to prominence in the 1950s as a parliamentarian under the Northern People’s Congress. By the 1960s, he served in Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa’s cabinet as minister of Economic Development, where he helped shape Nigeria’s early development plans.

In 1978, Mr Waziri co-founded the defunct Nigerian People’s Party (NPP) but pulled out after a rift with its leaders. He went on to establish the GNPP and became its presidential candidate. Though he lost the election to Shehu Shagari, his campaign left a powerful imprint through the slogan “politics without bitterness,” a call for civility and tolerance that set him apart in a hostile political climate.

Beyond philosophy, Mr Waziri’s GNPP made its mark at the polls. The party won the old Borno State, comprising today’s Borno and Yobe, and the defunct Gongola State, now Adamawa and Taraba states. These victories cemented him as a major political force in the North-east and gave his party real grassroots control.

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Ms Khadija’s husband was Yobe’s longest-serving governor, effectively shaping the state’s modern political history. His loyalists and networks remain formidable.

Yet, she has carved her own identity, having previously served as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (2016–2019) under President Buhari before returning to the House. She also served as Commissioner for Transport and Energy in Yobe State and as Resident Commissioner of Nicon Insurance in Yobe.

She is now the chairperson of the House Committee on Maritime Safety, Education, and Administration.

She has advocated for educational infrastructure, maternal and child health, women’s inclusion, and constituency-focused rural development projects.

10. George Adegeye, 39, (LP, Amuwo-Odofin, Lagos State)

George Adegeye is the son of Sunny Adé, an award-winning juju musician and cultural icon.

Though his father is not a politician, his celebrity status provides enormous name recognition and media visibility, especially in Lagos, where entertainment and politics intersect heavily.

After his youth service at the Lagos Ministry of Commerce, Mr Adegeye founded GSA Integrated Services Ltd., an events and branding firm that managed top concerts from 2003 to 2015.

By 2011, he was executive director of the Sunny Ade Foundation, which promoted music workshops and funded creative start-ups.

A strong voice for youth inclusion, he joined the Labour Party in 2022, riding the momentum of the #EndSARS generation.

He won the Amuwo-Odofin federal seat under the LP, defeating more seasoned politicians in a densely populated, competitive Lagos constituency.

In the House, he serves on the Committees on Youth Development, Creative Economy, and Niger-Delta Affairs.

His notable interventions include a motion on dredging Ojo Creek and rehabilitating FESTAC Link Road, the Creative Industry Financing Bill 2024 (₦50bn fund for film, gaming, and live events), and co-sponsorship of the NYSC Skills-Conversion Bill.

Ibrahim Mohammed, 29, (PDP, Birnin-Kebbi/Kalgo/Bunza, Kebbi State)

Ibrahim Mohammed is the son of Bello Haliru, a former Minister of Defence, one-time Acting National Chairman of the PDP, and ex-Board of Trustees chair.

During military rule, Mr Haliru, a veterinary doctor, was the Commissioner for Agriculture and Education in the old Sokoto State. He also became Assistant General Manager and then General Manager of the Rima River Basin and Rural Development Authority.

He served as Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service from 1988 to 1994 under the then-military administrations.

He was Minister of Communications (2001-2003) under President Olusegun Obasanjo and later, Minister of Defence (July 2011 – June 2012).

In 2015, he was Acting Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) and deputy chairman (North) of the PDP.

Mr Haliru is a heavyweight in Kebbi politics and nationally. His son’s candidacy came after the death of his elder brother, Abba Mohammed, who had been the PDP’s candidate. After Abba’s passing, Mr Ibrahim was substituted and affirmed by the party.

The sympathy factor and his father’s political stature and networks smoothed his path to nomination and eventual victory despite his lack of previous political or key positions.

At 27, he became the youngest member of the 10th National Assembly. He is a first-term member of the lower chamber.

He moved a motion for a critical look into the regulatory implementation, compliance, and maintenance of the law as enshrined in the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018.

He also sponsored twin bills to establish technical and entrepreneurship colleges in Kalgo and Bunza, Kebbi State.

Akeem Adeyemi, 48, (APC, Afijio, Atiba, Oyo East and Oyo West)

Akeem Adeyemi is the first son of the late Lamidi Adeyemi III, the immediate past Alaafin of Oyo.

The traditional ruler, who reigned for nearly 50 years, was one of the most powerful among the Yoruba. His influence covered politics, land matters, culture, and local governance.

As a royal scion, Akeem’s early political path was paved with cultural legitimacy. Being the direct son of the Alaafin gave him a powerful platform; royal endorsement in Yoruba politics carries deep cultural legitimacy. Traditional rulers influence voting patterns in many communities.

The younger Adeyemi once served as chairman of Atiba Local Government. That role entrenched him in grassroots politics and allowed him to build a base of supporters, manage local resources, and deliver to communities.

He has been a member of the House since 2019, and currently chairs the Committee on the South West Development Commission.