Though Nigeria has returned to democratic rule since 1999, the country is not however immune from the vagaries of patronage politics, which is also a widespread problem of democratic consolidation in Africa. The paper focuses on the indigenous babaogun (patron-client) exchange relations in Ibadan, which have existed since pre-colonial times. The result shows that though the system contributed to Ibadan’s sustenance and ascendancy in pre-colonial times, it became more evidently exploitative of Ibadan clients as from the colonial period. On the eve of independence in 1960, the new political, educated and economic elite simply assumed the roles of modern babaogun utilizing the exchange relations inherited from the indigenous system. The resilient system has endangered pseudo political participation and obstructed development at the grassroots.