Skip to main content

Obasanjo tells youths how to snatch power from “ageing leaders”

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo says young rising political stars can only wrestle power from “ageing leaders” successfully if they join forces during elections.

Obasanjo stated this in Johannesburg, on Wednesday, March 29, 2019, at the launch of a book — Democracy Works; Rewiring Politics to Africa’s Advantage — which he co-authored.

Obasanjo, a former military ruler in 1976 and then a civilian leader from 1999 to 2007, told AFP that African countries were making progress towards democracy, but much more remains to be done.

“Africa will get to where it needs to be,” he predicted. “Thirty years ago election was an aberration in Africa, today no election is an aberration,” he said in the interview.

“Even those (rulers) who want to remain (in power)… they still go through some form of election”. It’s what somebody called autocratic competitiveness. They are still autocratic, but they try to show that they are competitive through election.”

But Zambian opposition leader, Hakainde Hichilema, said that despite democratic progress registered elsewhere on the continent, some countries in the southern African region were moving backwards.

ALSO READ: Democracy taking root in Africa, says Obasanjo

“We have a re-emergence of authoritarian regimes, and there is regression in the democratic space in our region. We need to reverse this very quickly,” he told AFP, mentioning Zimbabwe and his own country Zambia as examples.

Obasanjo, 82, also urged young and upcoming African politicians to get their act together if they are to unseat old African leaders — many of them septuagenarians and octogenarians who have been holding on to power for decades — through elections.

“If the youth think that they will get into power on a platter, they are not getting it right,” he said in the interview. “They will have to snatch it, those (ageing leaders) will not go.”

Former Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who also spoke at the event, said Africa had “come a long way”, but that there was still room for improvement as she bemoaned “the recycling of the same leaders”.

The trio of Kingsley Moghalu, Fela Durotoye and Omoyele Sowore had failed at their attempt to field a young candidate in the 2019 presidential election.

ridoola.blogspot.com.ng
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

EFCC insists on presentation of Grace Tiaga's death certificate in P&ID case

Tiaga's counsel communicated the unavailability of the death certificate, requesting additional time. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is steadfast in its demand for the death certificate of the late Grace Tiaga, a former director of legal services at the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, to be submitted in court. Tiaga faced charges brought by the EFCC, alleging her involvement in receiving payments from Process & Industrial Development (P&ID) to manipulate the 20-year gas supply and processing agreement (GSPA) against Nigeria. The EFCC claims that these illicit payments were made through her daughter and persisted even after her retirement. The accusations extend to Tiaga's purported failure to adhere to due process while providing legal counsel on the GSPA. Initially facing eight counts of fraud, she was remanded to Suleja prison in 2019, later granted bail, and the charges were expanded to 13 counts. As the trial progressed, the prosecution p...
Post a Comment
Read more

List of America's one-term presidents & why they were not re-elected

U.S. President Joe Biden becomes the most recent entrant in a list of president who served for only one term. U.S. President Joe Biden announced that he would not be seeking re-election for a second term in the November 5, 2024 elections. Biden, in a statement said that he would be focused on completing his remaining term, endorsing his Vice President Kamala Harris as his most preferred nominee for the Democratic Party to take on former President Donald Trump. Joe Biden endorses Kamala Harris as Democrats' candidate after withdrawing from race [X:@JoeBiden] Biden now joins a list of former U.S. Presidents that only served for one term. John Adams (1797-1801) The second president of the United States, John Adams was a Founding Father who faced significant challenges during his presidency, including conflicts with political adversaries and foreign nations. His support for the Alien and Sedition Acts, perceived as a violation of civil liberties, contributed to his unpopulari...
Post a Comment
Read more

Tinubu appoints MKO Abiola's son, Jamiu as SSA on Linguistics & Foreign Matters

President Bola Tinubu has appointed Jamiu Abiola as the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Linguistics and Foreign Matters. The appointee is one of the children of the late Chief Moshood Kolawole Abiola , the winner of the 1993 presidential election annulled by General Ibrahim Babangida . According to a statement by Segun Imohiosen , the Director of Information and Public Relations, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, Jamiu's appointment took effect from November 14, 2024. Imohiosen said the appointment aligns with the provisions of the Certain Political and Judicial Office Holders (Salaries and Allowances, etc) Act 2008, as amended. Until his recent deployment, the appointee served as the Special Assistant to the President of Special Duties in the office of the Vice President. Tinubu tasked Jamiu to work closely with the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs and bring his wealth of experience to bear in his new ...
Post a Comment
Read more