El-Rufai, Power and the Limits of Justice: Time for Accountability, Restraint and Forgiveness
There is a powerful lesson in the current legal ordeal of former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai: power is temporary, but the consequences of how it is exercised can last a lifetime.
El-Rufai is not above the law. Like every other citizen, he must answer legitimate questions arising from his time in office where competent authorities present credible evidence. Allegations of corruption must be investigated and, where appropriate, tested before the courts.
But accountability must never become punishment before conviction.
The presumption of innocence, access to bail where legally appropriate and the right to a fair and timely trial are not privileges reserved for the politically weak or the politically powerful. They are principles upon which a credible justice system must operate.
El-Rufai's detention and subsequent court proceedings therefore deserve scrutiny not because he is a former governor, but because the manner in which the Nigerian state treats an accused person is a test of the strength of its institutions.
When the powerful experience the power of the state
El-Rufai spent eight years wielding enormous executive authority in Kaduna State.
His administration took far-reaching and sometimes highly controversial decisions on security, urban development, demolitions, religious movements and political opposition.
Among the most sensitive remains the state's handling of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) and the controversy surrounding Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky.
The 2016 Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the Zaria clashes examined the conduct of the Kaduna State Government and criticised the demolition of structures associated with El-Zakzaky's family and the IMN. The wider controversy involved deaths during the 2015 clashes, the subsequent proscription of the IMN by Kaduna State and the detention of its members.
These issues remain matters of historical and public interest. They should, however, be discussed on the basis of established evidence rather than unproven allegations.
The larger lesson is more important.
Those who exercise state power must remember that citizens subjected to that power have rights too.
A government can arrest, prosecute, demolish property and restrict organisations. But the greater the power of the state, the greater the obligation to exercise it with restraint, transparency and proportionality.
Today’s victor can become tomorrow’s defendant
Political power in Nigeria changes hands.
A governor becomes a former governor. A minister becomes a former minister. Political alliances disappear. Yesterday's influential figure can eventually find himself dependent on the same institutions he once commanded.
That reality should encourage humility among Nigeria's political class.
El-Rufai's present circumstances should therefore not be celebrated as political revenge, nor should they be used to erase legitimate questions about his record in Kaduna.
Both things can be true: a former governor can be held accountable, and an accused person can still be treated humanely and according to law.
The Atiku lesson
The intervention of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar in the debate over El-Rufai's detention also raises a broader question about political civility.
Political disagreements are inevitable. Personal humiliation should not be.
Where senior political figures have crossed paths over decades, there should be room for disagreement without contempt and criticism without unnecessary personal attacks.
Whatever words may have passed between political actors in the past, the appropriate response today should not be retaliation.
It should be reflection.
Those who occupy public office should remember that political fortunes change. Statements made in moments of power can acquire a very different meaning when circumstances change.
Respect for political elders, therefore, should not be viewed as weakness. It is part of the maturity Nigeria's political culture desperately needs.
Forgiveness is not impunity
There is also a place for forgiveness.
Calling for mercy does not mean asking prosecutors to abandon legitimate cases. It does not mean declaring anyone innocent without a judicial determination. And it does not mean denying victims the right to justice.
Rather, forgiveness should be understood as a political and human value that can coexist with accountability.
If evidence exists, let the courts determine the case.
If an accused person qualifies for bail, let the conditions be reasonable and consistent with the law.
If allegations cannot be proved, let the person go.
And where reconciliation becomes possible, Nigeria should embrace it rather than perpetuating an endless cycle in which every new government hunts the political enemies of the previous administration.
A moment for reflection
For El-Rufai, this period can become more than a legal battle. It can be a moment for reflection.
Those who felt powerless under his administration deserve to have their experiences heard and documented. Controversies surrounding the IMN, El-Zakzaky, demolitions and other major decisions of his government should remain open to evidence-based historical examination.
Equally, El-Rufai deserves the protection of due process.
That is the essence of a mature democracy.
Nigeria does not need a political culture in which today's victor becomes tomorrow's victim and yesterday's victim waits for the opportunity to retaliate.
It needs institutions strong enough to hold public officials accountable while remaining disciplined enough to protect the rights of those accused.
El-Rufai must answer legitimate questions before the law. But the law must also answer to its own principles.
Power is temporary. Public office is temporary. Political alliances are temporary. But the precedent created by how power is exercised can outlive everyone who wields it.
The wisest lesson for El-Rufai—and for every Nigerian leader—is therefore simple:
Use power with restraint when you have it; accept accountability when it is gone; respect those who disagree with you; and leave room for forgiveness when justice has taken its proper course.