El-Rufai, Uba Sani and the Politics of Power: Time for Restraint, Reflection and Forgiveness

By Umar Usman Duguri

There are moments in the life of a nation when the fate of one powerful individual forces society to confront a much bigger question: what happens when power changes hands?

The continuing legal ordeal of former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, offers Nigeria precisely such a moment.

El-Rufai is not above the law. Any credible allegations arising from his years in office should be tested through due process and determined by the courts. At the same time, an accused person should not be treated as though conviction has already occurred.

The presumption of innocence, fair hearing and reasonable access to bail where the law permits are fundamental principles of justice.

The present circumstances therefore deserve sober consideration—not because El-Rufai is a former governor, but because how Nigeria treats a former holder of high office says something about the character of its institutions.

Uba Sani should rethink his position

Governor Uba Sani should seriously reconsider his position on the continuing ordeal of his predecessor.

This is not a call for him to interfere with the courts or instruct federal agencies to terminate a case. The governor does not possess such powers.

The appeal is more specific: Governor Sani should use the lawful political and humanitarian avenues available to him to promote restraint, reconciliation and humane treatment.

If legitimate cases exist, let the courts determine them.

But Sani can publicly call for a fair and timely process. He can encourage dialogue among political actors. He can use his standing and relationships to lower political tensions rather than deepen them.

And where a matter eventually falls within the constitutional powers of a state governor under the prerogative of mercy, he can consider those powers through the prescribed process. Section 212 of the Constitution permits a governor to grant a pardon, respite, commutation or remission concerning offences created by a law of the state, after consultation with the state’s advisory council on prerogative of mercy. It is not a general power to halt a federal prosecution or overrule a court.

That distinction is important.

Governor Sani has already demonstrated that he recognises the place of mercy and second chances in public administration. In June 2026, he granted clemency to 97 inmates following recommendations from the Kaduna State Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy, describing the exercise in terms of justice, compassion, rehabilitation and reintegration.

He can bring that same spirit of compassion to the present political moment without compromising the independence of the courts.

Let the law take its course, but let the process remain humane.

That is the intervention Nigerians should expect from a governor—not interference with justice, but leadership beyond the courtroom.

Power changes hands

Governor Sani knows better than most that political power is temporary.

A governor becomes a former governor. Political alliances change. Friends become opponents and opponents sometimes become allies again.

The people who appear invincible today may require understanding tomorrow.

That is why leaders should be careful about establishing political precedents that they themselves might eventually experience.

Governor Sani therefore has an opportunity to demonstrate that Kaduna’s politics can rise above personal history.

He can show that disagreement with a predecessor does not require vindictiveness, and that political differences can coexist with humanity.

Such an approach would not erase the past.

It would demonstrate maturity in dealing with it.

El-Rufai’s own responsibility

But reconciliation cannot be a one-way street.

El-Rufai must also look inward.

His administration took significant decisions on security, urban development, public institutions and religious movements. Supporters regarded many of those decisions as bold reforms; critics considered some excessive or damaging.

Among the most sensitive was the confrontation between the Kaduna State Government and the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, particularly the controversy surrounding Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky.

The 2016 Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the Zaria clashes examined the events surrounding the 2015 confrontation and criticised aspects of the Kaduna government’s handling of the aftermath, including demolitions associated with the IMN and El-Zakzaky’s family.

Those historical issues should neither be exaggerated for political purposes nor buried for political convenience.

They deserve to be remembered and examined through evidence.

The same principle applies to demolitions carried out under urban-renewal and planning policies. Governments have legitimate responsibilities to regulate cities and enforce planning laws, but those powers must be exercised with fairness and sensitivity to the people affected.

El-Rufai should publicly seek forgiveness

There is an important distinction between legal guilt and moral reflection.

El-Rufai does not need to wait for a court judgment before acknowledging that some people may have been hurt, offended or disadvantaged by decisions taken during his administration.

If there are individuals, communities or political actors whom he believes he wronged, he should consider making a public gesture of humility and seeking forgiveness.

That would not amount to an admission of criminal liability or prejudge any case before the courts.

It would simply demonstrate that a former governor is capable of looking back honestly at his years in power.

A simple statement—“where I have wronged people, I ask for their forgiveness”—could carry enormous significance.

It would not erase the past.

But it could help heal some of its wounds.

The Atiku lesson

The episode also raises an important question about political civility and respect for Nigeria’s senior political figures.

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has spoken publicly about El-Rufai’s situation and called for due process and fair treatment.

Whatever disagreements may have existed between the two men, political rivalry should not become an excuse for personal humiliation.

El-Rufai, too, should reflect on the importance of respecting political elders and those who contributed to the political journey that preceded his own rise.

Political criticism is legitimate. Political disagreement is inevitable.

But respect should survive disagreement.

Those who speak from positions of strength should remember that political fortunes change.

Forgiveness does not mean impunity

Calling for forgiveness does not mean asking Nigeria to abandon the rule of law.

It does not erase allegations. It does not establish innocence. It does not deny anyone who believes they were wronged the opportunity to seek justice.

Forgiveness means recognising that a nation cannot permanently survive on cycles of political retaliation.

Nigeria needs institutions capable of investigating wrongdoing without turning every political transition into an opportunity for revenge.

It also needs leaders capable of recognising that mercy can sometimes accomplish what confrontation cannot.

Kaduna deserves a new political language

Governor Uba Sani has an opportunity to change the tone.

He can insist that the judicial process remains independent while using his political influence to encourage reconciliation and humane treatment.

He can demonstrate that his administration is not defined by its relationship with one predecessor.

He can show that Kaduna’s future is bigger than the political conflicts of its past.

El-Rufai, for his part, can respond with humility.

He can reflect on his record, acknowledge legitimate grievances and publicly seek forgiveness wherever he believes his actions caused harm.

That would be a powerful meeting point between responsibility and reconciliation.

The bigger lesson for Nigeria

Nigeria should not become a country where today’s victor becomes tomorrow’s victim and yesterday’s victim waits patiently for revenge.

That cycle has no winner.

The real test of leadership is not how a politician behaves when he controls power. It is how he behaves when power is no longer entirely in his hands.

Governor Uba Sani can prove his detractors wrong by demonstrating that political strength does not require political vengeance.

El-Rufai can demonstrate his own maturity by acknowledging that even accomplished leaders can make decisions that leave others wounded.

One can extend the hand of reconciliation.

The other can have the humility to accept it—and to say publicly:

“Where I have wronged people, I seek their forgiveness.”

That would not rewrite history.

It would begin to heal it.

Power is temporary. Office is temporary. Political alliances are temporary. But the consequences of how power is exercised can outlive those who wield it.

For Kaduna and for Nigeria, the wiser path is therefore not revenge, but a combination of due process, restraint, dignity, humility and forgiveness.