When S.G. Ikoku Defeated His Father in a 1957 Election
On March 15, 1957, Mazi Alvan Azinna Ikoku and his son, Samuel Goomsu Ikoku, known as S.G. Ikoku, contested the same seat in the Eastern House of Assembly. Alvan, whose portrait appears on the ₦10 note, ran under his own party, while his son represented the Action Group. S.G. won by 59 votes and later became Leader of the Opposition in the Eastern Region. The result did not end their family bond. Alvan accepted his son's victory, supported him publicly and later helped fund his re-election campaign in 1961. S.G. Ikoku went on to become Aminu Kano's running mate in the 1979 presidential election. What stands out most: a son defeating his father at the polls, or his father supporting him afterwards?
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