The recurrent attempts by African leaders to prolong their stay in office have become one of the defining features of the African continent. The frequency of these incidents creates the impression that such a practice is an African invention. The article debunks this perception by tracing its remnants from the Roman Republic. One of the key questions that beg for attention is: why did African leaders embrace undemocratic practices and why are they reluctant to relinquish power? This is a complex question which cannot be adequately addressed in a single sentence. The primary purpose of this article is to address this question by providing a historical account on how the practice started and how it has evolved over time and in different political contexts. Using examples from different parts of Africa, the article provides broad explanations for the practice which are buttressed by specific examples. It then proposes the way forward.

Key words: Africa, dictatorship, history, life presidency, Roman Republic.

The paper discusses the phenomenon of life presidency in Africa and its relationship with the liberatory ideologies such as African renaissance, democratization and development. Leaders tend to use pre-colonial dispensation to remain in office. It is the hereditary elements merged with modern elements that create this perennial challenge Africa is facing. However, this paper posits that reverting to the past is just an excuse as there are underlying causes why some African leaders are reluctant to relinquish power voluntarily. Political system of patronage, ethnic favouritism, repression and corruption generally culminate into anxiety and fear for prosecution once one leaves office. Monopolized leadership has adversely affected the political, economic and social development of the continent. Guinea as a case study reflects these features. From 1958 to 2010, Guinea had three presidents, and two died in office after serving for almost a quarter of a century each and the third was forcibly ousted.

Keywords: African renaissance, democratization, development, leadership, power.

Following the decision by President Hastings Kamuzu Banda of Malawi to declare himself ‘President for life’, the African political landscape in the past two decades has witnessed a steady increase in the number of leaders who sought to extend their hold on power by either abolishing constitutional limits on tenure or by extending the number of terms allowed by the constitution. Analysts of African politics often see these events as undemocratic and a danger to the consolidation of democracy on the African continent. In this article, I review President Olusegun Obasanjo’s attempt at amending the Nigerian constitution to extend his term of office. The article examines the strategies he employed to secure the third agenda and how his agenda was defeated, not only by the opposition party but also by some individual politicians from his own party the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). The implications Obasanjo’s third term agenda for Nigeria and Africa are also discussed.

Keywords: African continent, constitution, democracy, independence, Nigeria,

In Africa, the concept of leadership and rulership was nurtured by the traditional beliefs in which chiefs or kings ruled until death. The role to lead a political and geographical space was seen as a gift from the gods or God. Challenging the legality of a king was seen as challenging God’s or the gods’ choice hence it was an abomination. It is within this context that Mugabe and the Zimbabwean case must be view-being a microcosm of African larger complex socio-cultural, historical and political reality. Despite all efforts to oust the regime of Mugabe and the institution of economic sanctions on Zimbabwe, the crisis failed to be a mobilizing foundation for the civil unrest and the ouster of Mugabe. It also failed to garner total support for the opposition that would result in a total electoral victory that would end Mugabe’s rule. The main focus of this article is to provide a historical discourse on how Mugabe has successfully defied all internal and external machinations to oust him from power.

Keywords: Africa, life president, power, Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe

Neopatrimonial politics has become one of the key subjects amongst political scientists due to the ubiquity of cases that fit this phenomenon. In essence, the concept refers to the confusion observable in many developing countries across the globe between the public and private spheres or public office and the office holder in a given state. In its general sense and with reference to African politics the theory argues that the African governing elite use public bureaucratic institutions as a façade. In reality, political authority for the day-to-day running of the state lies primarily with a small oligarchy controlled by a ruling “strongman”. This article uses Liberia as a case study to elucidate this concept. Other cases from Africa are cited to illustrate the points discussed with reference to Liberia. The conclusion is that President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has unwittingly joined other African leaders who use public office to consolidate their power.

Keywords: Bureaucratic institutions, Liberia, Neopatrimonial politics, reconstruction, regional resonance.

The purpose of this article is to provide an answer to the question as to whether South Africa’s contribution to Southern African regional integration is best and effectively achieved through Southern African Customs Union (SACU) or Southern African Development Community (SADC). It is a response to the position that the best and effective way for South Africa to contribute towards regional integration is through SACU, not SADC and that SACU is bound to absorb other SADC countries and even Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) countries as its members. It concludes that the best and effective way for South Africa to contribute towards Southern African regional integration is through SADC, not SACU. Its contribution towards African continental integration is also through SADC, not SACU.