In this power clash between political and traditional power, we find Muhammadu Sanusi II (Sanusi Lamido Sanusi), former Emir of Kano, and Abdullahi Ganduje, then-Governor of Kano State at logger heads.

The tension began brewing after Sanusi—known for his outspoken views—publicly criticized the Kano State government’s policies and alleged mismanagement under Ganduje’s leadership. In response, Ganduje's administration began moves to weaken Sanusi’s influence. In 2019, Ganduje controversially split the historic Kano Emirate into five, effectively reducing Sanusi’s domain and symbolic power. He went a step further in March 2020, dethroning and exiling Sanusi under the guise of “insubordination.”

The move was widely seen as politically motivated and sparked national debate over the autonomy of traditional institutions and the cost of speaking truth to power.

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The feud between Afrobeats star Davido and media mogul Dele Momodu began in 2015. Davido and his family were in a custody dispute over his daughter, Imade, with her mother, Sophia Momodu — who is Dele Momodu’s niece. When the Momodus accused Davido’s family of attempting to take the child abroad without the mother's consent, the matter escalated publicly.

Davido vented his frustration on social media and took shots at Dele Momodu in multiple songs, most notably in Falz’s “Bahd Baddo Baddest” where he rapped, “Mr Dele na my boy, Dele na my boy.” The jab went viral, sparking debates about respect, celebrity behavior, and media power in Nigeria and remains one of the most talked-about celebrity-media clashes in Nigerian pop culture.

Who do you have as the ultimate winner?

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The tension between Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Akwaeke Emezi emerged publicly in 2021 but had roots in earlier disagreements. It began after Emezi, a non-binary Nigerian author who was once mentored by Adichie, criticized Adichie for her 2017 comments that questioned whether trans women are the same as cis women. Adichie's comments sparked backlash, particularly within LGBTQ+ communities.

Emezi, who had been part of Adichie's writing workshop, later removed Adichie's name from the acknowledgments of their debut novel and called her out publicly for transphobia. In a 2021 essay titled “It Is Obscene,” Adichie indirectly addressed the situation, accusing unnamed younger writers (widely understood to include Emezi) of bad faith, performative outrage, and using social media to stoke division.

The fallout revealed generational and ideological divides in Nigerian literary and activist spaces, touching on issues of identity, mentorship, and the limits of public discourse.

Who do you have as the ultimate winner?

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