By Mogaji Wole Arisekola
One thing some people fail to understand in Nigeria is that power does not belong to anybody forever.
Because your phone is ringing today, your compound is full of visitors, and everybody is calling you “Your Excellency”, you may begin to think tomorrow is already in your pocket.
Hummm. Life!
Those of us who witnessed the political battle between Chief Lamidi Adedibu, Senator Rashidi Ladoja and Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala should understand this better.
In those days, Molete was no ordinary place. Adedibu’s influence carried weight in Oyo State politics. When his relationship with Ladoja broke down, the struggle became a major political confrontation, and Adedibu backed Alao-Akala’s governorship ambition.
In January 2006, Ladoja was impeached, and his deputy, Alao-Akala, took over. Some people must have concluded that Ladoja’s time was over.
But Ladoja went to court.
By December that year, the Supreme Court had upheld the decision invalidating the impeachment because the constitutional requirements had not been followed. Ladoja returned to office.
The man they removed came back.
That alone should teach anybody something about life. A crowd can celebrate your removal, but their celebration does not determine the final outcome.
Akala later won the governorship election in 2007. He served until 2011, when he lost his re-election bid to Abiola Ajimobi. Another chapter opened in Oyo State politics.
That is how power moves. Nobody can keep it in his family compound forever.
If you are in power today, think of tomorrow. A day will come when the son of today’s most powerful person will be sitting behind the crowd.
Last month, I was shocked to see a daughter of a former governor in my office with her CV, seeking an appointment.
So, is that what this life is all about?
Now, look at the experience of Justice Walter Onnoghen.
On January 25, 2019, shortly before the general elections, President Muhammadu Buhari suspended him as Chief Justice of Nigeria, relying on an order from the Code of Conduct Tribunal. Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad was sworn in as acting Chief Justice that same day. The action raised serious questions about constitutional procedure and the independence of the judiciary.
Just imagine that change of circumstances.
A man occupying the highest judicial office in the country suddenly found himself fighting to defend his position and reputation.
The tribunal, chaired by Danladi Umar, convicted him over his asset declaration. But in November 2024, following a settlement with the Federal Government, the Court of Appeal set aside that conviction.
It took years, but the story changed.
This is why I tell people: be careful how you treat a man when you think he has nobody to speak for him.
And what happened afterwards?
Abubakar Malami, who was Attorney-General during the Buhari administration, was later arraigned alongside his wife and son on a 16-count money-laundering charge. He pleaded not guilty. The court must determine the allegations.
Danladi Umar also faced his own difficulties. In November 2024, the National Assembly called for his removal as chairman of the tribunal. In July 2026, he was remanded in a separate corruption case before being granted ₦100 million bail. Again, a charge is not a conviction.
Justice Tanko Muhammad’s tenure had its own troubles too. 14 Supreme Court justices raised concerns about their welfare and working conditions in June 2022. He resigned that month on grounds of ill health and later died in December 2025, aged 71.
May his soul rest in peace.
Nobody should claim that another person’s sickness or death is punishment from God. That judgment belongs to God.
But these events should remind all of us that the protection of an office has a limit.
In Nigeria, once some people get a small appointment, even their old friends cannot reach them again. They forget the people who stood beside them when there was nothing.
Every disagreement becomes an insult. Every criticism becomes an attack by an enemy. Somebody must be punished to show that they are in charge.
My brother, calm down.
The office existed before you arrived. Someone else will occupy it after you leave.
When the appointment ends, the convoy will go. The security men will receive another posting. Some of those shouting your praises will carry their chairs to another compound.
Then you will discover the value of the relationships you destroyed.
This matter is bigger than politics. It concerns the employer who humiliates his workers, the family head who refuses to hear anybody else and the businessman who believes money gives him permission to treat people anyhow.
Before you support an unfair decision, ask yourself one question: if they do this same thing to me tomorrow, will I accept it?
If your answer is no, why are you clapping today?
I always say that a man cannot sow rice and expect to harvest beans. The way you treat people becomes part of your record.
Help people when you can. Be fair when you have authority. Allow others to speak. And when somebody is down, do not rush to put your foot on his neck.
You do not know what tomorrow holds.
Power will leave your hands one day. Make sure you can still walk among your people with your head held high.
Mogaji Wole Arisekola writes from Ibadan.
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