African democrats and the trouble with Niger

Lately, I sit and ponder where the idea that Africa is not the land of democracy initially emanated. It’s been a long time since a King or Queen chosen by the oracle steered the ship of any nation, except you are looking at small towns like Eswatini or Morocco. The rest of Africa, whether you look at it as a country or nation states, has been run democratically since Nelson Mandela was discharged from Robben Island. The rest of Africa is more democratic than Europe which shares its electoral ideals with kings and/or queens.

It is, therefore, painful that the ultra-powerful Western media lumps Africa with nations like Russia, China or Saudi Arabia. Africa could teach these powerful nations a thing or two about democracy, except that it hates undue competition.

Who knew for instance that two of Africa’s most established democracies – Gabon and Zimbabwe held elections last weekend? In Zimbabwe, where a man called the Crocodile or Emerson Mnangagwa, successfully upstaged and ousted Robert Mugabe from his life presidency, there was an election worth observing in which of course, the Crocodile won. In muddy waters where there are no sharks or whales, the crocodile is always King. 

Mnangagwa won a landslide that almost swept the feet of his infamous rival, Nelson Chamisa. As long as the Crocodile rules the swamp, little amphibians must know their turf. 

African democrats and the trouble with Niger

Islamic scholar, wife, newborn still in captivity 3 weeks after

While Mnangagwa preferred to hold these polls away from the prying eyes of meddlesome interlopers called international observers, who always claim that electoral materials arrived late at some polling stations, the electoral bodies are more concerned about how to save hapless Zimbabweans the trouble of queueing up for nothing.

They would like to get things over so that fun-loving Zimbabweans could tend their gardens or accompany their wives or side chicks to the salon. This is  the kind of deep consideration for people’s welfare that most Western leaders lack, hence the jealousy about elections and their outcome. When was the last time the people of England queued to decide who occupies Buckingham Palace or the Spanish who occupies the Royal Palace of Madrid? When was the last time a Western leader saved the fingers of its citizens from the poison of indelible ink? It has not happened in a very long time. 

When you hear that the African Union (AU) has taken a stance against the bad boys in Niger, just know that Emerson Mnangagwa is a ranking member of that noble organisation that predated the EU. Indeed, it is more active than the 75- year-old Organisation of American States. Having received the AU stamp of approval for his coup against the great Uncle Bob Mugabe, Mnangagwa is considered a better democrat than Donald J. Trump. So, what is all these talks about Africa not being democratic?

Gabon is another African village with an impeccable democratic credentials. Since it was midwifed by the French in 1960, Gabon has made unparalleled progress as a democracy in the Central African region. Since the testate death of his father in 2009, Son Excellence le President Ali Bongo Ondimba, has been saddled with the onerous responsibility of steering the uncommon ship of his country. 

Alhamdulillah, he has discharged those divine responsibilities with uncommon devotion. He’ll keep doing so unwavering until Allah calls him home. For those waiting for that to happen, they would have to have faster access to heaven than the distinguished mullahs of the Gabonese Higher Council of Islamic Affairs (CSAIG) that elected him their superior head in 1996.

As an uncommon democrat, Ali Bongo runs a cyclical election to shut the mouths of Africa’s critics that might be tempted to call him a dictator knowing that there is no sinew of dictatorship in his body. 

To prevent hacking into the electoral register, last Saturday’s elections were held under night curfew and the shutting down of internet access. This is in deep consideration for the welfare of the Gabonese people and the 18 hawks that ganged up against Ondimba at the polls. 

In justifying the shutting down of the internet to a web-addicted generation, the government declared it was to “prevent any misbehaviour and to preserve the security of the entire population”. Only opposition enemies would fault such altruism.

In 2016, the last time Ondimba sought populist re-endorsement, arsonists torched the parliament. So deep is Bongo’s love for his people that the slogan – Ali for Everyone is inscribed on T-shirts generously distributed to loyal citizens. When you are the leader of a dynasty that has ruled your nation for 56 years, it is difficult for anyone to doubt your popularity.

It might be pre-emptive or even subjudice to predict that the all-popular Ondimba has already won this round even when there is no specific time limit to make such declaration.

However, even the deaf could hear the sound of victory for the incumbent. The thoughtful electoral umpire would probably be taking into consideration, the effect of its presumed declaration on the peace, stability and security of their president. Gabon would become nothing without its amiable president.

Whenever one hears that the all-democratic AU is taking a strong stance against anti-democratic elements in Niger, Mali or Burkina Faso, they need to take into consideration how African democrats have grown democracy from Algiers to Pretoria, Nouakchott to Mogadishu. 

President Tinubu of Nigeria says he is the lone voice of reason preventing ECOWAS, the AU or even trigger-happy America and its allies from taking care of General Tchiani and his friends in Niamey. This man’s democratic credentials are soon to be endorsed with a judicial pronouncement of his locally disputed electoral victory.

The AU is perhaps the largest gathering of great democrats in any continent in the world. It is home to the world’s oldest democrat, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea who at 81 has served his country diligently for 43 unbroken years and is still going.

He is followed by his older brother in government, 89-year-old Paul Biya of Cameroun’s 41 years in the saddle. Seventy-eight-year-old Denis Sassou Nguesso, in power for the past 38 years and Yoweri Kaguta Museveni who stands close at 36 years in office riding from the bush to install democracy in Uganda.

Their younger sibling is 76-year-old Isaias Afwerki the founder, owner president of democratic Eritrea.

Again, when next you hear that the AU has taken a solid stance against non-democratic forces anywhere in Africa, these are the custodians of democracy putting their impeccable credentials on such decisions. 

In fairness, these are the rulers that even the all-powerful former President of America, Donald Trump wished had shared the patent of sustainable democracy with him and not monopolised it the way American vaccine-makers monopolised the COVID jab in the hope that Africans would be dropping dead like overripe mangoes during the pandemic. 

The trouble with the AU is that the guys in Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali might one day grow to challenge these dinosaurs to their game. African-style democracy hates competition. Show me a Western nation that has a leader for 20 unbroken years except Israel that recycles its own and maybe they might qualify to question the African Union or it’s more dynamic sub-regional group – ECOWAS in standing up for democracy.