By STEVE OSUJI
It is said that those who make peaceful change impossible make violent change inevitable. This is the story of Africa today as bad leader after bad leader fall one by one as in a domino effect.
The latest to bite the dust about an hour ago is President Ali Bongo of Gabon. He has been in power since 2009. As it’s the style of many of Africa’s puny Presidents, he has suborned the country’s constitution and is on course to making himself a life president. He’s already in power for 14 years and has just perverted another election to stay in power for a 3rd term.
His father, Omar Bongo was on the seat for 41 years and positioned Ali to take over upon his demise.
Of course a sit-tight ruler couldn’t be said to be practising democracy. But most leaders of African States are not only undemocratic, they are very poor leaders who are perversely corrupt and lack vision to develop their states. These miserable leaders are the major reason Africa has remained wasteland of underdevelopment.
They have moved from decades of crass dictatorships like Idi Amin, Nguesso, Mugabe, Mobutu, Eyadema, Omar Bongo, to name a few, to this age ot ersatz democracy. Today, they play at democracy but at heart and in practise, they are arch despots. First, they seize the commonwealth, impoverish the people, subvert all institutions of state and hijack the political space. They keep manipulating both the constitution and the electoral process so as to remain perpetually in power or install their kind when it becomes impossible to continue.
A continent that has a Paul Biya of Cameroon and Yoweri Museveni as presidents cannot be a place for serious human existence.
If it requires military coups to dislodge this EVIL OLD ORDER and restore commonsense in Africa, let it happen today!
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