Zimbabwe’s President, Robert Mugabe, has
finally resigned a week after his former political allies and the army
took steps to get him out of office. The resignation signifies an
expected end to the days of dictatorial and undemocratic rule in
Zimbabwe as the resigned President, Mugabe has ruled for about four
decades. To point thoroughly to the level of highhandedness and
autocracy displayed by Mugabe, he unanimously sacked his Vice-President,
Emmerson Mnangagwa. It was the sacking that led to the military
takeover which finally forced Mugabe out and made him bow to civil
pressure.
Wild jubilations and celebrations are
presently ongoing all over the world – Africa in particular – as the
93-year-old man that have been in power since the country’s independence
on April 18, 1980 gets out of power. Many described his resignation as a
victory to Africa. Infact, The Punch editorial argued that his
resignation “is good for Zimbabwe, (and) it is excellent for Africa.”
Even with all these, I am surprise
seeing Nigerians making much jubilation over the ‘victory’ as if it is
uhuru already. Thousands of Nigerians are making commentaries praising
the Zimbabwean army for the job well done saying the resignation
symbolizes the end of dictatorial and kakistocractic regime in Africa.
As I will not disagree with their claims, where they get the moral
rights to make all these assertions is the source of concern to this
writer.
In Nigeria, the set
of people parading themselves as leaders are not in any way better than
the brutal Mugabe. Any person that has properly studied the leadership
and governing style of Nigeria will not make an attempt to dispute this
fact. Even though we are made to understand, by virtue of several
provisions in our constitution, that we operate a democratic government,
we know in reality that what obtains in this clime is far away from
democracy.
It is unarguable that the key features
of democracy are periodic election and the rule of majority. Mugabe had
been contesting and “winning” presidential elections in his country even
without the people’s legitimacy since 1980. It will interest you to
know that Mugabe has made himself eligible to contest the August 2018
presidential election despite being very close to his grave. Reports
have however shown that election rigging, killing and persecution of
political opponents, chronic hatred for criticism and serious
totalitarianism are what kept him in power till the point of his
resignation. Without much imagination, it is crystal clear that
self-imposition of himself on the people and gross violation of his
subjects’ fundamental rights are against the tenets of democracy.
All that featured in Mugabe’s too many years of misrule are equally prevalent in Nigeria up till today.
As a people, like Zimbabweans, we are
still being governed by people of the same wine since our official birth
in 1960. We cannot deny the fact that it is the set of people leading
us even before Zimbabwe gained her independence that we still call
leaders till this present moment. It was the men that ruled us in
different offices decades ago that are still ruling us till today. To
buttress my point, it will be apt to figure out that two Heads of State
that ruled during the military era have ruled and still ruling ( not
governing) us since our return to democracy. The yesterday’s Governor is
today’s minister. Today’s minister is tomorrow Senate President. One
time Vice-President, tomorrow’s President. One time local government
Chairman, today’s House of Representative member. That is how the
rigmarole continues that there is no iota of difference in our ruling
class. As yesterday’s PDP, is today’s APC. No difference. The same
people governing us in the past are those still in powers today, even
till tomorrow despite the provisions of periodic election in our
constitution. Then, tell me, how are we different from Zimbabwe, how are
they different from Mugabe?
Do we talk of our Mugabe-like leaders’
sheer abhorrence for political criticism and disrespect for fundamental
rights? Till today, political killings and prosecutions are still
prevalent in this society of ours. Election rigging is still the order
of the day which makes the same set of people remaining in power as many
of them lack really the legitimacy of the people.
In the final analysis, let’s just hope a
day is coming our leaders that have clung to power for too long doing
virtually nothing will honourably resign and allow citizens with fresh
but progressive political ideologies and the zeal to deliver Nigeria
from eternal damnation to move to the seats of power. We have our own
Mugabes too, let them resign now!
Festus Ogun is a Human Rights Activist and 400 level Law student of Olabisi Onabanjo University. Email: Festusogunlaw@gmail.com
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