Africa: Trapped By Tenacious Leaders | By Innocent Odoh
Democracy is evolving in Africa, but it is troubled by a vile political phenomenon, where political leaders have chosen to perpetuate themselves in power through mostly unconstitutional means and the manipulation of systems and structures, described by pundits as “Sit-tight leadership”.
While this syndrome may not be exclusive to Africa, it is in the continent that the situation is most prominent and produces perhaps the most destructive consequences, including instability, the strangulation of opposition, and the erosion of democratic values, leading to stunted development.
There is a deluge of these sit-tight leaders, most of whom have become, at times, senile and grossly incompetent, defined by multiple failures in national development policies, often seen in many African countries affected by this scourge.
Examples abound from Cameroon to Djibouti, Gabon to Uganda, and Equatorial Guinea to Côte d’Ivoire, Togo to Eritrea. It has been a massive struggle for citizens to free themselves from the shackles of these dictatorships and authoritarian leadership.
Just a few days ago, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who came to power in 1986, was ‘reelected’ for another 7 years in an election the opposition described as a charade. After being in office for about 40 years, the 81-year-old Museveni, who has turned governance into a nepotistic enterprise, judging by the appointment of family members and tribesmen to key positions, is not prepared to adhere to term limits as they are practised in a democracy.
This disturbing trend is perhaps more pronounced in Cameroon, where 92-year-old Paul Biya has been in power since 1982. Biya is the oldest serving head of state and has the unenviable record of being Africa’s second-longest-serving president. Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea is the longest-serving African president, having been in power since 1979.
Biya, of course, was elected president last October in another sham election, and this will be his eighth term in office after strangulating the opposition, most of whom he allegedly ran out of town, and those who contested had a very bitter experience.
Some other sit-tight leaders include: Paul Kagame of Rwanda, who has been in power since 2000; and Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of the Congo, who has ruled since 1997. Isaias Afwerki of Eritrea has ruled since 1993; Ismail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti since 1999; Faure Gnassingbé of Togo since 2005; and Alassane Ouattara of the Ivory Coast since 2010.
In Gabon, Omar Bongo ruled from 1967 to 2009, and when he died, his son, Ali Bongo, succeeded him and sought a third term in the presidential election held on August 26, 2023. The election was significantly flawed, and Ali was overthrown by the army shortly after his declaration as the winner on August 30, 2023.
According to a scholar, who does not want his name in print, the strategy to remain in power has always been a dubious constitutional amendment, sometimes to remove term limits, as seen in the case of Biya. The other disgusting scenario is election manipulation through rigging or controlling electoral commissions and using them to declare results that did not reflect the will of the people.
“In extreme cases, especially as the incumbent becomes increasingly unpopular, they employ force & repression using state power to crack down on opposition, journalists, and civil society. They also exert control of critical institutions such as the judiciary, military, and other government bodies to do their bidding,” he said.
Africa is facing severe consequences of sit-tight leadership, despite being one of the wealthiest regions of the world, with vast resources and a very vibrant, immensely talented young population. There is a massive erosion of democracy as each election cycle keeps bringing back worn-out leaders who have lost foresight.
This development weakens democratic institutions and stifles political competition, leading to mismanagement, corruption, and the menace of what analysts refer to as a generational disconnect, where a huge gap is created between the ruling elite and the younger generation seeking change.
It also creates a sense of alienation and makes a peaceful transition impossible, which ultimately makes conflicts inevitable.
Reacting to this ugly development, a senior lecturer with the Department of Political Science with a speciality in international relations at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, in Anambra state, Dr Christian Okeke, told our correspondent on Wednesday that the sit-tight politics playing out in Africa’s geo-politics is regrettable, retrogressive and undermines democratisation in the continent.
He said, “It is sad that Africa is busy building, eulogising and protecting strong men who do not love their countries rather than building strong institutions.
“Today, what is regarded as the Coup Belt of the world is located in Africa, partly as a result of this problem. What we witness is mindless underdevelopment of the continent through family politics and, sadly, by Africans against colonial invaders.
“Today, Africa parades leaders who have been in power for several decades, including Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, the President of Equatorial Guinea, Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of Congo, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, who just won his seventh term, and King Mswati of Swaziland. Same is the story in Lesotho, Djibouti, Eritrea and Rwanda.”
He said further that the capture of state institutions by the governing elite, collaboration with security forces, personal ambition, and unsatisfied aggrandisement also contribute to this. He added that, for these reasons, one wonders what has really gone wrong in Africa and with Africans regarding political power.
“The worst case is the seeming helplessness of the people to end this malaise and restore the continent to the path of true democracy, where the will of the people is supreme.
“The roguish politicians capitalise on state-created abject poverty as well as coercive use of legitimate instruments of power as weapons to perpetuate the elite in power.”
“In several African countries, it is obvious that the people have lost the power to effect needed political reforms, such that, except luck smiles through a successful coup de’tat or external powers intervene to bring about forceful change of government, this condition is bound to continue,” he added.
He reiterated that it is evident the affected African countries have reached a point where civil actions, legal options, and public opinion can no longer solve the problem. Still, some form of external assistance, collaborating with well-meaning local elements, to break the jinx and free both the people and the political space, regardless of how odd that sounds.
Mr Charles Onunaiju, Director of the Centre for China Studies, an Abuja-based intellectual think tank, said it has become incumbent on the citizens to examine multiparty democracy and how it has failed Africa. He said the solution to sit-tight leadership is for citizens to curb what he called “confrontational and bitter politics” where the ruling party sees the opposition not as a partner but as an enemy which must be crushed at all costs.
He urged reforms through consensus building based on “consultative democracy of all political forces who meet a certain threshold backed by the constitution, so that everyone will have a sense of belonging.”
He described the current institutions that support democracy as weak and hollow, adding that they are susceptible to control and manipulation by the leader and the ruling elite, which leads to authoritarianism because of the greed to stay in power.
He said, “Constitution and institutions are formalities, which can easily be emasculated. Elsewhere, executive power is restrained, but in Africa, it is unrestrained. The consequences include authoritarianism, which cannot engender stability, leading to suppression of the political growth.”
He noted that it has become necessary to re-engineer the institutions and imbue them with African characteristics, including a consultative, consensus-based approach that will lead to the collective fulfilment of the people.
International Constitutional law expert, Livingstone Wechie, blames the sit-tight mentality of Africa’s leaders on a monarchical orientation intolerant of opposing views, which he noted has left the continent far behind its contemporaries.
He pointed out a grave governance deficit in Africa, saying, “What we have is rulership where the Kigames, the Musevenis, the Biyas, the Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea and many others believe that nobody except them can hold power. These are licensed state captors. The implications are that instability, conflict and terror will continue to reign.
On how constitutional loopholes, weak institutions and patronage systems enable sit-tight leadership, Wechie said that many African so-called Institutions function based on the impulse and body language of the despot. This is why accountability and probity are worlds apart. He said it is impossible to talk of constitutional loopholes when you cannot define what a constitution is.
“To many African states, a constitution is a document produced by the state captor, an instrument by which he rules the state and brings the people to submission.
He reviews and renews at will, based on his weaponised political interests, not minding their illegitimacy. This has promoted the eternal hold on power,” he noted.
Africa has the instruments to consolidate and strengthen democracy.
There is the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance 2001, which stipulated constitutional principles shared by all member states and the following are some of its provisions; a) – Separation of powers – the Executive, Legislative and Judiciary; Every accession to power must be made through free, fair and transparent elections; Zero tolerance for power obtained or maintained by unconstitutional means among others.
In the same vein, the African Union’s key document is the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG), adopted in 2007, that promotes democratic principles like the rule of law, human rights, free & fair elections, and condemns unconstitutional changes of government, aiming to build democratic institutions and culture across Africa.
However, these principles appear to exist only on paper, as leaders often alter their constitutions, rig elections, and return unpopular candidates, while ECOWAS and the AU watch almost helplessly.
Wechie called for total reforms of both local and regional institutions, especially ECOWAS and the African Union, which lack the mechanisms to implement sanctions against anti-democratic forces on the continent.
He said,”The way forward is that these continental and regional bodies must be rescued from the state captors. The AU and others must be democratised to allow for direct citizenship participation through a universal suffrage.”
There is hope, albeit faint, for democratic survival in Africa.
The continent has shining examples of how to build democracy within the rules. The late former South African President, Nelson Mandela, left office after one term. Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan willingly relinquished office when he lost to Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, with his famous words that “my political ambition is not worth anybody’s blood”. Ghana, Senegal, South Africa, and Kenya have also demonstrated stability in constitutional democracy that has resisted sit-tight leadership, albeit amid significant challenges.
However, these appear insignificant compared to the surging sea of sit-tight leadership. More work and more reforms are indeed needed if this ugly trend in Africa is to change.
81-year-old Ugandan’s President Yoweri Museveni, has been in power since 1986, 92-year-old Paul Biya has been in power in Cameroun since 1982. Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea is the longest-serving African president, having been in power since 1979. Paul Kagame of Rwanda has been in power since 2000; Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of the Congo has been in power since 1997. Isaias Afwerki of Eritrea has ruled since 1993; Ismail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti since 1999; Faure Gnassingbé of Togo since 2005; and Alassane Ouattara of the Ivory Coast since 2010.
EXPLAINER
Despite ECOWAS and African Union Protocols against manipulation of election and consolidating power through unconstitutional means, the two regional bloc only become reactionary after the reckless power mongers are removed from office through coups as was seen in Guinea, where Alfa Conde tried to perpetuate himself in power and was ousted by soldiers led by Col. Mamady Doumbouya, who has just been elected president.
There is hope, albeit a faint one, about democratic revival in Africa. The continent has a shining example of how to build democracy within the rules. The late former South African President, Nelson Mandela, left office after one term. Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan willingly relinquished office when he lost to Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, with his famous words that “my political ambition is not worth anybody’s blood”.
Reforms through consensus building based on consultative democracy of all political forces who meet a certain threshold, backed by the constitution, have become necessary to stop the winner-take-it-all syndrome so that everyone will have a sense of belonging.”
Executive power in Africa is unstrained due to the complex nature of politics, coupled with weak institutions. The sit-tight leaders often tinker with the constitution and manipulate democratic institutions.
The consequences of sit-tight leadership include authoritarianism, which cannot engender stability, suppression of the political opposition, stunted economic growth and corruption. The sit tight politicians capitalise on state-created abject poverty as well as coercive use of legitimate instruments of power as weapons to perpetuate themselves in power.
INNOCENT ODOH writes about some African leaders who are clinging to power and stifling change and progress in their countries
Source: https://leadership.ng/africa-trapped-by-tenacious-leaders/
