It Is the Cosmic — What We Do Returns to Us, Says Babafemi Ojudu

In a candid and reflective piece, former Senator Babafemi Ojudu has delved into the concept of karma, describing how the consequences of human actions, particularly in the exercise of power, inevitably return to their originators in what he terms a cosmic cycle.

Ojudu made it clear that he was not attempting to explore the deep philosophical or spiritual dimensions of karma, leaving that to theologians, mystics, and philosophers.

Power passes. Consequences remain.

Instead, he chose to illustrate the principle through two compelling real-life stories that demonstrate how life returns to people the outcomes of their deeds, whether good or ill.

“Power passes. Consequences remain,” the former senator wrote.

He emphasised that the article was not written to ridicule or settle scores with anyone. Drawing from age and experience, Ojudu said he has reached a stage in life where personal experiences are used not for vengeance but as teaching tools, so that others might learn from both the mistakes they made and the mistakes committed against them.

In the first story, Ojudu recounted events in Ekiti State when he and several colleagues openly criticised Dr. Kayode Fayemi, who was then the governor. The response, according to him, was swift and unforgiving.

The machinery of government and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was allegedly deployed against them. Pressure was mounted on ward executives to collect signatures for their expulsion from the party.

Ojudu named some of those affected, including Senator Tony Adeniyi, Hon. Oyetunde Ojo, Hon. Bimbo Daramola, and many of their supporters. He specifically highlighted the ordeal of his ward chairman, Mr. Clement Afolabi, who was allegedly hounded, threatened, arrested, and detained for refusing to accept bribes to organise Ojudu’s expulsion.

Describing the tense atmosphere, Ojudu noted that politics in their environment often carries the temperament of warfare. In reaction, he and his colleagues moved to suspend the governor himself and publicised the action. The situation escalated dangerously until the national leadership of the APC intervened and appealed for calm.

Even after the intervention, Ojudu claimed the police were allegedly recruited to pursue them on charges of criminal libel. Although their lawyers successfully resisted the moves, the harassment persisted. They were humiliated, isolated, and portrayed as politically irrelevant, despite their significant roles in Fayemi’s earlier political emergence.

Ojudu drew parallels with the later suspension of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole in his ward and his eventual removal as National Chairman of the APC, noting that the methods appeared hauntingly familiar.

Karma. Cosmic balance. The harvest of human actions.

He also recalled another incident before the expulsion attempt, where the local government arm of the party, led by Mr. Akinleye, allegedly poured five bags of rice at his gate as a theatrical gesture to “return” the truckloads of rice he had donated to party members during the COVID-19 period. This was reportedly because the governor was displeased that party members had accepted relief materials from him.

Interestingly, Ojudu observed that Mr. Akinleye and many others who were involved have since switched camps and are now reportedly engaged in activities against Fayemi.

He pointed out the irony in Dr. Fayemi’s recent lamentations about the state of the party, particularly regarding intolerance, exclusion, and the abuse of internal power structures. While acknowledging that some of Fayemi’s observations were valid, Ojudu noted that many believe such practices flourished under his watch as governor and later as Chairman of the Governors’ Forum.

Ojudu revealed that he has since forgiven Dr. Fayemi, and the two occasionally exchange warm conversations. He specifically thanked the former governor for attending his son’s wedding. However, he stressed that forgiveness is not amnesia, and memory remains one of the scars left by history.

In the second story, Ojudu revisited the aftermath of the 2007 presidential election, in which INEC declared the late Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua as winner against General Muhammadu Buhari. He noted the cordial relationship that existed between Buhari and the Yar’Adua family, particularly with the late General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua.

Buhari challenged the result up to the Supreme Court. According to Ojudu, intelligence available to President Yar’Adua three days before the judgment suggested the court might rule against him.

Yar’Adua reportedly summoned PDP governors and influential figures, informing them he was ready to accept the judgment, describing Buhari as his brother.

The governors, however, fiercely resisted the idea. What followed, Ojudu wrote, belongs to the dark archives of Nigerian political history. Many believe the judgment was influenced, and Yar’Adua remained in office.

Ojudu highlighted that one of the principal actors widely accused of helping shape that outcome — and who had reportedly bragged about it — is today loudly complaining that he himself was rigged out during a party primary.

He added that the two judges said to have resisted pressure were later appointed ambassadors by President Buhari — one to London and the other to Washington — in apparent recognition of their courage.

Forgiveness is not amnesia, and memory remains one of the scars left by history.

Ojudu concluded that a man who participates in the subversion of justice loses moral authority when he becomes a victim of similar injustice. He warned that destroying institutions for temporary victories leaves one without protection when the same forces turn against them, contributing to the decay of the nation.

“Karma. Cosmic balance. The harvest of human actions,” he wrote.

The former senator asserted that karma is not always mystical but is sometimes simply history taking notes and life completing its circle — a reminder that no condition is permanent and no abuse of power ever truly disappears. The universe, he said, has a long memory.

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