When Power Crumbles: Nigeria’s Political Titans and the Reckoning They Cannot Escape
By Haroon Aremu
He once rode through Abuja behind blaring sirens, aides scrambling, admirers stretching their necks for a glimpse. Today, the same man answers questions in stark rooms, stripped of titles, power, and applause. In Nigeria, this scene is no longer shocking; it has become familiar. The fall of once-feared political figures is no longer an exception but a pattern, a recurring drama in which yesterday’s giants confront the brutal ordinariness of accountability.
From cabinet rooms to court docks, from mansions to detention cells, the country is witnessing a parade of fallen kings. Arrests, arraignments, frozen accounts, revoked passports, and prison remands have replaced convoys and accolades. The message is unmistakable: power in Nigeria is loud, intoxicating and fleeting.
This moment sits firmly within Nigeria’s long historical rhythm. From the collapse of First Republic strongmen after the 1966 coups, to military rulers who once commanded fear but later faced exile, trials, or quiet disgrace, the country has always cycled through rise and fall. Names that once dominated radio waves and newspaper headlines eventually slipped into footnotes, their authority dissolved by time, circumstance, or consequence. Nigeria has never lacked powerful men; it has only ever struggled with how long they imagine themselves untouchable.
History, both Nigerian and global, teaches the same unforgiving lesson: power is transient. The Roman emperors, medieval monarchs, African strongmen, and postcolonial leaders all learned it the hard way. Thrones crack, offices expire, and legacies outlive incumbency. What survives is not the number of convoys or loyalists but the record—clean or stained—left behind. In Nigeria’s current season of reckonings, that truth is resurfacing with unusual force.
The shockwaves were unmistakable when Dr. Chris Ngige, former Labour Minister and ex-governor of Anambra State, was arrested and hauled in for questioning. A man once seated at the heart of federal power was reportedly taken from his Asokoro residence in the quiet vulnerability of early morning. For his community, it was humiliation; for the political class, it was a warning that age, pedigree, and past relevance no longer guarantee insulation.
Even more symbolic was the sight of a former Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, standing in the dock. Once the nation’s chief legal custodian, he now answers allegations tied to the abuse of office. Few images better capture the shift in Nigeria’s political weather than a former enforcer of the law now confronting it from the other side.
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Beyond the courtroom drama, a longer list of former power brokers now lives in various states of disgrace and uncertainty. Diezani Alison-Madueke, once among Africa’s most influential women, battles corruption cases from abroad, her name now shorthand for excess. Sadiya Umar Farouq and Betta Edu, both former ministers, saw promising public careers collapse under allegations of financial impropriety. Their stories read like cautionary chapters—warnings to those still drunk on authority.
Then there is Yahaya Bello, the former Kogi governor who once projected invincibility. Youthful, audacious, and fiercely defended by loyalists, he moved like a political conqueror. Today, his public presence has shrunk to legal statements and whispered sightings as the EFCC circles. Popularity, it turns out, is seasonal; accountability is not.
Bukola Saraki’s fall remains another defining lesson. Once a dominant Senate President and national power broker, he lost his Senate seat, his political base in Kwara, and the aura of inevitability that once surrounded him. His defeat redrew political maps and reminded Nigeria that even the most sophisticated machinery can stall.
Perhaps the most haunting image of all is that of Godwin Emefiele, former Central Bank Governor. A man who once controlled trillions and shaped national economic destiny now moves between courtrooms and custody. Prison sandals where polished shoes once stood have sent a message louder than any sermon: no office in Nigeria is above disgrace.
Even death has joined the conversation. The passing of former President Muhammadu Buhari, once hailed as “Mai Gaskiya,” underscores the ultimate certainty awaiting all leaders. Applause fades, criticism lingers, and history deliberates long after burial. Likewise, the sudden death of Bayelsa’s Deputy Governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpor, jolted the political class with a reminder of life’s fragility and power’s impermanence.
This season is both mirror and warning. It reflects what Nigeria has tolerated for decades and signals what may come next. Those now in office governors, ministers, legislators, agency heads—should feel uneasy. Every individual now facing prosecution once stood where they stand today, shielded by authority and cheered by crowds.
The lesson is stark and unavoidable: the office you hold today will not protect you tomorrow. Immunity expires. Applause evaporates. Records remain. Misuse power, and humiliation will trail you long after the keys are returned. Steal public funds, and the shame will outlive your influence.
Tomorrow, the name in the headlines could be yours—or that of your ally, mentor, or hero. Unless a different path is chosen now. For legacy. For dignity. For family. And for a nation that is watching closely, learning once again how every king, eventually, must fall.
Haroon Aremu Abiodun is a Nigerian writer and can be reached via [email protected].
