Power Has an Expiry Date, Ope Banwo Tells El-Rufai
Public commentator Ope Banwo has warned that political power in Nigeria comes with a clear expiration date, using former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai as a case study in what happens when that reality is ignored.
Banwo made the remarks while reacting to El-Rufai’s recent encounters with state institutions, describing the development as a predictable outcome of political miscalculation rather than a sudden fall from grace.
“Power expires the moment you stop being part of the structure that wields it,” Banwo said. “Many politicians fail to understand that relevance is transactional, not historical.”
According to him, El-Rufai continued to operate in public discourse as though his former position still afforded him leverage, issuing strong accusations against the government and security establishment. Banwo said such actions often trigger institutional pushback, regardless of the speaker’s past status.
He noted that Nigerian politics does not reward nostalgia. “The state does not negotiate with former authority. It only recognizes present command,” he said.
Banwo explained that El-Rufai’s detention by agencies such as the Department of State Services(DSS) demonstrates how swiftly the balance of power can shift once political cover disappears. He added that institutions are structured to endure beyond individuals and will act to protect their authority.
“What many former office holders fail to grasp is that the state always outlives personal ambition,” Banwo said.
He also dismissed suggestions that El-Rufai’s current predicament reflects a collapse of democratic norms, insisting instead that it reflects political reality. “This is not about morality; it is about structure. Power does not argue when it decides to act,” he stated.
Banwo further pointed to the absence of public mobilization in support of El-Rufai as evidence that political capital erodes quickly without office. “Influence without institutional backing is largely imaginary,” he said.
He concluded by advising current and former political leaders to exercise caution in their public engagements once they leave power. “When your authority expires, your words stop being weapons and start becoming evidence,” Banwo warned.
