Odili Samalu
Odili Samalu is the novel's protagonist and narrator. He is born into a successful and politically-involved family, and he distinguishes himself as a privileged member of society due to his top-tier education. At the beginning of the novel, Odili is working as a school teacher in Anata. While there, he reconnects with an old teacher, Chief M.A. Nanga. Impressed by Odili's educational background, the Chief invites him to spend time in the nation's capital. During his time at Chief Nanga's house, the Minister seduces Odili's then-girlfriend, Elsie. After this event, Odili vows to take revenge on Chief Nanga. He aims to both seduce the Chief's fiancee and contest his seat in the cabinet.
Through Odili's narration, the reader is able to get a unique perspective into the character's inner thoughts, feelings, and motivations. Odili reveals that it was a long-kept secret that his mother died during his birth. This detail accounts for the narrator's heightened sense of deception and his strained relationship with his father. We find that Odili grapples with his masculinity and is tormented by his deep sense of insecurity. These feelings often drive the character to make rash and vengeful decisions. Additionally, we discover that Odili is hypocritical. While he criticizes the selfishness and capitalistic nature of the politicians, we find that Odili quickly succumbs to the privileges that his political involvement awards him. At the end of the novel, it is difficult to decide whether Odili has actually grown from his experiences or if he is still too self-involved to think beyond his material acquisitions.
Chief M. A. Nanga
Chief M.A. Nanga is the country's Minister of Culture in the reigning P.O.P. political party. He is Odili's antagonist and competitor throughout the novel. Before venturing into politics, Chief Nanga was a school teacher from Anata. When he visits his former school, he recognizes Odili as one of his old students and invites him to stay at his home in the capital. Through Odili's narration, we see Chief Nanga as a power-hungry, selfish, and corrupt politician. His interest in Odili is rooted in his former student's privilege, and he unscrupulously hurts the common man in an effort to promote his luxurious personal agenda.
When Chief Nanga sleeps with Odili's then-girlfriend, Elsie, it sparks Odili to take revenge on the Minister. Odili then aims to contest Chief Nanga's political seat and to steal his newest wife. Chief Nanga slanders Odili throughout his campaign and orders his followers to harass and berate his competition. In one of the story's closing scenes, the Chief notices that Odili has disguised himself and snuck into the incumbent's rally. Chief Nanga brings Odili onstage and embarrasses the young candidate, and then he beats him. During Odili's hospitalization and recovery, we find that Chief Nanga has won the election unopposed. However, his government is overthrown and he is arrested following the military coup.
Edna
Edna is Chief Nanga's latest bride-to-be. She is a village girl from a poor family, and she is given a hefty dowry for her engagement to the Chief. After Chief Nanga seduces Elsie, Odili views Edna as a conquest and a means of seeking revenge. Odili visits Edna at her home, where he encounters her strict father and has a bicycle accident. Throughout Odili's pursuit, Edna reveals that she does not desire to marry the Chief, but feels stuck due to her father's pressure and her family's dependence on the dowry. As time progresses, Odili stops viewing Edna as a means of revenge but instead falls in love with her for her beauty and intellect. In the novel's final scene, Odili gathers money to pay a higher dowry in order for them to marry.
Elsie
Elsie is a nurse and Odili's casual girlfriend from his time at University. Although they have been together for some time, Odili never fully defines their relationship. When Chief Nanga invites Odili to stay at his home in Bori, Odili is excited because Elsie also lives in the capital. Chief Nanga asks Odili about their relationship, to which Odili replies that Elsie is merely a "good-time girl." After Odili brings her as a guest to Chief Nanga's house, the Minister seduces Elsie. This action demonstrates the Chief's selfish and womanizing ways. Odili vows to take revenge on Chief Nanga for his behavior, and he chooses to contest the Chief's cabinet seat in the upcoming election.
Hezekiah Samalu
Hezekiah Salamu is Odili's father. We learn from Odili that during the narrator's childhood, Hezekiah worked as a District Interpreter. This job distinguished the family as being both educated and high-class, and Odili explains that this status made him feel as though he was a target. Additionally, Hezekiah works as the chairman of his local P.O.P precinct. As Odili contests Chief Nanga's seat, his father's local political involvement becomes a particularly important point of analysis.
Odili and his father have a strained relationship. This is due to both the circumstances of Odili's birth, and his father's reckless obsession with having numerous wives, an obsession that he cannot financially afford. Hezekiah disapproves of his son's involvement in the C.P.C., yet their differences never divide the two from one another. In the story's closing scene, we find that Hezekiah steadfastly remains next to his son's hospital bed despite their ideological differences.
Maxwell Kulamo
Maxwell Kulamo is Odili's friend from University. He works alongside his fiancee, Eunice, as a lawyer in Bori. Max is the leader of a new political party called the C.P.C. (Common People's Convention). He is profoundly inspired by Karl Marx, and he aims to fight for a new era of politics that champions the common man. Odili speaks of Max very fondly, as he is inspired by his political commitment and his intellect. After Chief Nanga seduces Elsie, Odili reaches out to Max in order to join the C.P.C. and contest the incumbent faction.
When Odili is offered a bribe by Chief Nanga to renounce his campaign, he discovers that Max has taken a bribe from Chief Koko in order to finance the C.P.C. When Odili awakes from his coma, he discovers that Max was killed by Chief Koko and that Eunice shot Chief Koko out of revenge. Following the coup, the army declares Max a hero and martyr of the revolution. Odili promises to build a school and dedicate it to Max in honor of his commitment to equality.
Eunice
Eunice is Max's fiancée. She works alongside Max as a lawyer in Bori. Like Max, Eunice is an active member of the C.P.C. Odili describes her as beautiful and intelligent, and he even voices that he is slightly envious of their supportive and loving relationship. After Max is killed by Chief Koko, Eunice takes revenge and shoots the Chief twice in the heart.
Mrs. Nanga
Mrs. Nanga is Chief Nanga's wife. She is described by Odili as homely and matriarchal, and she does not know much English. During Odili's stay at Chief Nanga's home, Mrs. Nanga leaves to bring her children to a small village. After Chief Nanga sleeps with Elsie, Odili leaves to visit Mrs. Nanga and try to understand more about Chief Nanga's personal life. Although she is first friendly to Odili, Mrs. Nanga turns sour once the narrator threatens her husband's political position.
Jean and John
Jean and John are a couple working as American ambassadors to the unnamed African country. Odili finds their presence irritating, as they consistently speak poorly about Africa and offer a neocolonialist perspective. Odili finds himself physically attracted to Jean, and the two sleep together after a party. As Jean drives Odili through Bori's winding streets, Odili finds himself growing angry at her disapproval of the city's urban planning. Thus, Jean and John represent the persistence of a colonial presence and perspective in a post-colonial African society.
