The law may walk slowly, but when it arrives, it rarely knocks twice.”
Politics is often mistaken for noise, theatrics and social media applause. Yet history repeatedly teaches a different lesson: nations are not built by excitement alone; they are sustained by foresight, discipline and respect for institutions.
As the philosopher Edmund Burke observed, “Good order is the foundation of all good things.” The difference between political triumph and political tragedy is often not popularity; it is prudence.
Take the events preceding the 2019 elections. A political party leadership decision to extend the tenure of party executives generated legal concerns that, if left unaddressed, could have carried devastating consequences. The issue was not merely administrative; it touched the very legality of internal party structures and potentially the validity of candidates that would emerge from them.
Fortunately, thoughtful minds within the system reportedly saw the storm before the rain. They examined the legal terrain, sensed danger and urged corrective action. The warning was simple: political enthusiasm cannot overrule constitutional procedure.
The lesson was profound.
A party can possess millions of supporters, but if it neglects the law, it may unknowingly construct a palace on sand. Victory obtained without procedural legitimacy can become defeat wearing ceremonial robes.
“The first casualty of arrogance is judgement.”
The recurring challenge within parts of the Nigerian political space is not necessarily a shortage of ambition; Nigeria has never lacked ambitious men and women. The greater problem has often been the illusion that political power exists above institutional order.
Time and again, court decisions have reminded political actors of a painful truth: the law recognises no permanent emperor.
Political history across states and parties offers examples where internal disputes, disobedience to judicial directives and failure to build consensus weakened otherwise formidable structures. In several cases, parties did not lose because their opponents were stronger; they lost because they fought themselves.
Abraham Lincoln once warned:
“A house divided against itself cannot stand.”
That truth remains timeless.
Perhaps modern politics has become excessively captivated by slogans, emotional mobilisation and crowds. Yet governance demands a different skill entirely. Campaigns may survive on excitement, but governments survive on competence.
Leadership is not measured by how loudly one speaks, nor by how effectively one attacks opponents. Leadership is measured by judgement, by the ability to foresee danger before others notice the smoke.
Nations are not villages of impulse. Democracies are not marketplaces of ego. Institutions are not decorations to be consulted only when convenient.
And perhaps the enduring lesson is this:
When individuals repeatedly ignore process and procedure, they often seek villains after consequences arrive. But consequences are stubborn things; they rarely answer to propaganda.
Nigeria’s future will not be secured merely by passionate politicians or energetic supporters. It will be secured by leaders who understand that strategy matters, unity matters, institutions matter and above all, the law matters.
Because in the end, political power may command attention, but only wisdom commands endurance.
Ajulo is Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Ondo State.