Impeachment. That is the dreaded word, the trodden term, in Nigeria's political lexicon. Say what you may, it is used, misused and abused....shall we say....at will, and quite willfully. Well, until yesterday. Yes...Thursday 7 December 2006.

What changed? Everything. Thanks to the courage and dutifulness of the Court of Appeal, and the confirmation by the Supreme Court of Nigeria, no one can impeach anyone anymore without full compliance with both the letter and spirit of the Constitution. There must at once be due process and rule of law, in tandem. As we say in Nigeria: no magomago, no wuruwuru! You may not cut corners in this matter.

Briefly, what happened was this: The ruling party used its members in Oyo State, south west Nigeria, to illegally and crudely remove the governor from office January 2006. The deed was done in a hotel, with less than the prescribed two-thirds, by some legislators beholden to the "political godfather" of the People's Democratic Party in the state, variously described as the "strongman of Ibadan politics", "demagogue of Amala Politics", "garrison commander of PDP" and "god of Molete". We speak, dear reader, of the dreaded and fearless Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu.

Adebayo Alao-Akala, erstwhile deputy governor and a sworn worshipper of Adedibu, promptly took over and got another adherent of the strongman installed as his deputy. Governor Rashidi Ladoja and the anti-impeachment legislators filed several cases in different courts, including a robust challenge of the act, moves to freeze the state government's accounts, etc. The complex processes and proceedings culminated in the detailed ruling by the Federal Court of Appeal, sitting in Ibadan, which firmly and unambiguously repudiated each and every strand of the dastardly deal. Governor Ladoja's impeachment was unanimously declared null and void.

You would have thought that rests the matter. No. Not with the ruling party of Nigeria! Both the Federal Attorney General and the naion's Inspector General of Police insisted that the status quo be preserved until the Supreme Court rules!! Curiously, this position was taken even before the appeal was filed at the apex court. The IGP, himself a senoir lawyer, openly contradicted and preempted the courts in this case, such that the registrar of the Supreme Court had to issue an unprecedented and devastating rebuttal. Strange ways!!!

Today's judgement finally rests both the Ladoja-Alao Akala saga and the question of how and/or how not to impeach office-holders, especially governors and, ultimately, the president.

Lesson: Be patient and prudent in the face of political adversity. Believe in justice and keep faith with the courts.

Lesson: Be dignified and undeterred as Ladoja has been. Do not resort to violence, no matter the provocation...as Ladoja has so admirably done.

Lesson: There are always lawyers and judges to rock the boat of justice, but there is always the final say of the final court, which will redeem and redress. Yes, no matter what.

Lesson: God, The Almighty rules. He gives and retrieves power or wealth as HE pleases. And HE is faithful....even now, and forever!