AFRICAN COUPS: SIT TIGHT LEADERS AND THE WIND OF CHANGE: WHO? WHY? HOW?

 

AFRICAN COUPS: SIT TIGHT LEADERS AND THE WIND OF CHANGE: 

WHO? WHY? HOW?

‘Those who make peaceful resolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.”...John F Kennedy

Sit tight syndrome in public office is a situation where a political or public office holder would want to stay in power for more than the prescribed number of tenures therefore, elongating his tenure in office.

Sit tight syndrome is mostly borne out of corruption, greed and selfishness.

Staying in power is the only way to have immunity and keep away from the long arms of the law  once he steps down from power.

African states over the years, and currently, are plagued with the menace of long stay in public office which in turn goes against democratic principles.

Tenure Elongation is no longer a new issue when it comes to African politics. Past and present leaders in Africa have shown tendencies for tenure elongation which is against the tenets of democracy.

Why do African leaders want to perpetuate stay in government?

GREED:

In the African system, leaders contest for offices with the sole aim of making money.

They first recoup the money spent on campaigns and elections. With unhindered access to public funds, to leave office becomes difficult. So they strive to continue amassing wealth and enjoying immunity from the law.

FEAR OF ARREST:

After syphoning public funds the African leader is afraid of leaving power. He knows the law will come for him once he leaves office. Staying in power will guarantee immunity and protection from arrest. They want to extend their stay in office, and also corrupt the enforcement agencies in the process.

Some have been in power for so long they can no more remember what life out of office is.

GODFATHERISM:

Godfatherism is a situation whereby a political leader, group of political leaders or even a political party is sponsored by an individual, who is always in the background but calls the shots.  He gives all directives on how things are run. He even decides wins an election.

Most young politicians acquire political power, riding on the backs of their god-fathers. They are sponsored by their god-fathers and when they get into office end up as puppets for their godfathers.

ELECTION MANIPULATION

With access to so much illegally acquired funds and the state security forces, removing them through the ballot becomes impossible. Elections are manipulated with impunity. Resorting to the judiciary is also an uphill task. Apart from having the means to hire the best legal luminaries around, the judicial system is fraught with corruption and injustice.

The situation gets so bad when removing them from office through legal and democratic means becomes impossible.

John F Kennedy, the 35th American President in a speech in 1962 said, ‘Those who make peaceful resolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.”

Military putsches seem the only way out. The sit-tight leader is forced out of government disgracefully.

The reaction of the citizenry to the development is usually surprising. People have trooped to the streets celebrating the exit of the sit-tight leader. It is an indication of the helplessness of their situations.

The list of African leaders who have stayed in power for too long or have left the stage through inglorious and unceremonious means is expansive.

 

PAUL BIYA (41 YEARS)

Cameroon’s Paul Biya’s reign is not ending anytime soon.

President Biya, who came to power in a coup d’etat in 1982, has ruled the country ever since. In the early years of his rule, he was known for being a repressive leader.

In the 1990s, he loosened his grip on the country and allowed multiparty elections. However, he has remained in power ever since.

President Biya has had his fair share of trouble with human rights groups for his continued repression of the people of Cameroon.

 

DENIS SASSOU (36 YEARS)

Denis Sassou has been the president of the Republic of the Congo for 36 years. He first came to power in 1979 and has since been re-elected three times. Sassou is currently among the oldest heads of state in Africa, at 80.

His over three decades in power have attracted criticism and allegations, from corruption to poor governance and human rights violations. However, to him, that has never seen any reason enough to call it quits.

 

YOWERI MUSEVENI (35  YEARS)

Yoweri Museveni has been the president of Uganda for 35 years. He first came to power in 1986 and has since been re-elected three times. Museveni is the third oldest head of state in Africa, at 79.

Critics say Museveni has become increasingly authoritarian over the years, stifling dissent and curtailing civil liberties.

In recent years, there have been calls for term limits in Uganda, but Museveni has resisted these efforts. In 2017, he amended the constitution to remove the president’s age limit, effectively allowing him to stay in power for life.

 

ISAIAS AFWERKI (30 YEARS)

Isaias Afwerki has been the president of Eritrea for 30 years. He first came to power in 1993 after leading the country’s independence movement from Ethiopia. Afwerki has since been re-elected twice.

Eritrea is also one of the world’s most militarized countries, with all able-bodied citizens required to serve in the military. This has led to a mass exodus of Eritreans, with many fleeing the country for safety and opportunity elsewhere.

 

PAUL KAGAME (23 YEARS)

Rwanda’s leader, Paul Kagame is standing for re-election in 2024. He has been in power since 2000.

In 2015 the constitution was changed, allowing him to stay until 2034.

In the last presidential election, official figures showed he won 99% of the vote, which many outside the country dismissed as a sham.

Asked if he would seek re-election, Kagame said: “I will consider running for another 20 years. I have no problem with that. Elections are about people choosing.”

 

FELIX HOUPHOUET-BOIGNY (33 YEARS)

He was President of the Cote D’Ivoire for 33 years. At his death, he was the third longest-serving head-of-state in the world, after Fidel Castro of Cuba and Kim Il Sung of North Korea. He was the first President of Cote d’Ivoire, and he died in office as president. Laurent Gbagbo’s attempt to hang on to power after losing his re-election bid led to his disgraceful removal.

 

ROBERT MUGABE (37 YEARS)

Robert Gabriel Mugabe was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who served as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987 and then as President from 1987 to 2017.

He dominated Zimbabwe's politics for nearly four decades, Mugabe was a controversial figure. He was praised as a revolutionary hero of the African liberation struggle who helped free Zimbabwe from British colonialism, imperialism, and white minority rule. The Zimbabwean independence icon turned into an authoritarian leader, He was ousted in a military coup in 2017 after 37 years in power. Mugabe died in a Singaporean hospital on 6th September 2019 aged 95.

In recent times a series of military coups have hit Francophone Africa.

Another coup struck recently in Africa. This time, it is Gabon where a group of army officers announced they had put an end to the combined 56-year reign of both Omar Bongo and his son, Ali, in the Central African country.

One reason many analysts have given for the now-frequent coups on the continent is the perpetuity of some African leaders in power.

In just three years, soldiers have kicked out civilian leaders in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Sudan, Niger and now Gabon.

 

In April 2021, Chad's army took power after President Idriss Deby was killed on the battlefield while visiting troops fighting rebels in the north.

 

The coups indicate the dismal failure of democracy in West and Central Africa.

While the wind of forceful change seems growing in Africa, it is obvious that the only panacea to the coups and military putsches is good governance and refraining from the sit-tight syndrome.

For democracy to thrive in Africa, the system must adhere strictly to the tenets of democracy.

 

Femi Ladapo (Femolad) writes from Ibadan, Nigeria