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Creation of a Pan-African Senate: A Call for Action

6 May 1997

In the more than three decades since the bulk of African countries gained independence from colonial rule, few African rulers have voluntarily relinquished power or allowed themselves to be defeated in an election. Unsurprisingly, an overwhelming majority of these rulers have either been forced out of office through popular revolt, armed insurrection, and coup d'etat, or died in office after being too sick and senile to sign even their signatures. Indeed, political succession has remained undoubtedly one of post-colonial Africa's Achilles heels. The consequences of this state of affairs are legion, and have been all too disastrous for the continent. Many countries have known no political stability --an essential condition for any meaningful development to take place -- as a chain of individual rulers have, without scruples, battled and decimated their own populace just to remain in power; ethnic and clan groups have been pitted against each other; economies, upon which the welfare of the people depends, have been ruined leaving in place a desolate economic landscape that invites only the worst speculative activities and merchants of death; precious unrenewable resources have continually been wasted in pursuit of the mirage of staying in power indefinitely; countless number of people have been uprooted and displaced from their homes and reduced, as it were, to becoming food aid junkies in refugee camps. Most portentous of all, the countries have been robbed the dynamism and renewed vigor that come from the ascendance to power of much younger, energetic leadership.

As we approach the 21st century, it behooves us (Africans) to devise creative and ground-breaking ways to address this hydra- headed problem. We need to create conditions to encourage African heads of state to graciously hand over power to an elected successor. This calls, among other things, for the establishment of a Pan-African Senate consisting of former African heads of state who have either allowed themselves to be defeated at the polls (like Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia and Nicephore Soglo of Benin), or handed over to a democratic process (like Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria and Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone), or retired in conditions of pluralism and the open society (like Leopold Senghor of Senegal, Julius K. Nyerere of Tanzania, and Nelson "Madiba" Mandela of South Africa who will be retiring in 1999 after a most glorious and distinguished political career).

The Pan-African Senate will serve three-pronged yet substantial purposes:

1. The Senate would enable Africa to continue to tap the wisdom and accumulated political experience of some of its most historic statesmen and women.
2. It would help to give African heads of state the promise of a continuing honorific role, enable them to retain dignity, and thus engender the practice of a dignified retirement within Africa.
3. It would also help Africa to rescue the institution of the presidency from continuing to be a zero-sum game with the pervasive asinine mind set of "either I am President or I am nothing".

The idea for the creation of a Pan-African Senate to serve the above objectives comes from Professor Ali Mazrui. It may not be a sure-fire recipe to cure all of Africa's political succession woes, but it sure is a significant step toward fruitfully dealing with the problem. If such an institution was in place a long time ago, it could have arguably helped to prevent some of the worst crisis afflicting African countries today. If Mobutu had voluntarily vacated the presidency 20 years ago, Zairians would have been spared the anguish, trauma and poverty visited on them by 32 years of Mobutuism; if Babangida had graciously handed over power to the presumed winner of the 1993 presidential elections, the current imbroglio Nigeria is enmeshed in could have been avoided; and if current rulers of Gabon, Kenya, Togo, Cameroon, etc. voluntarily relinquish power, their respective countries would be spared the aggravation of forceful change in leadership.

This is why you or your organization should sign the letter below to be sent to all African foreign ministers and heads of state asking them to include the formation of an African Senate as one of their agenda items in their upcoming annual meeting. The OAU council of ministers will meet from May 28-30, and the heads of state summit from June 2-4, 1997 at Harare Zimbabwe.

Append your name by cc mi14@cornell.edu Feel free to distribute widely and send hardcopy signatories (for non-netters) for collation to: P. O. Box 4868, Ithaca NY 14852, USA.

Ibe Ibeike-Jonah

April 25, 1997

President Robert G. Mugabe
Incoming Organization of African Unity (OAU) Chairman
Munhumutapa Bldg.
Samora Machel Avenue
Private Bag 7700, Causeway
Harare, Zimbab

Dear President Mugabe,

Creation of a Pan-African Senate

In the more than thirty years since the bulk of African countries attained independence from colonial rule, few African heads of state have voluntarily relinquished power or allowed themselves to be defeated in an election. An inordinate number of African rulers have either been forced out of office through armed revolt and coup d'etat, or died in office after a protracted illness that almost always paralyze the affairs of the state. Indeed, political succession has remained one of Africa's Achilles heels.

Conscious of the immense disastrous political and economic consequences that ensue from the penchant of rulers to indefinitely stay in office, mindful of the universal and fervent desire of African people to creatively rise to the challenge of solving the problems confronting the continent as we approach the next century; and recognizing the need to create conditions that will enable African rulers to graciously yield power to an elected successor; we, the undersigned Africans, friends of Africa and organizations recommend and call on the Organization of African Unity (OAU) Council of Ministers and Heads of Government to include as an agenda item in their scheduled annual summit meeting in Harare, Zimbabwe the prompt establishment of a Pan-African Senate consisting precisely of former African heads of state (and those who follow in their footsteps) who have: (i) either willingly and gracefully accepted electoral defeat at the polls (like Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia and Nicephore Soglo of Benin); (ii) or handed over to a democratic process (like Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria and Julius Bio of Sierra Leone); (iii) or retired in conditions of pluralism and the open society (like Leopold Senghor of Senegal, Julius K. Nyerere of Tanzania, and Nelson "Madiba" Mandela of South Africa who has announced he will be retiring in 1999 after a most distinguished political career).

The Pan-African Senate will serve three-pronged yet substantial purposes:

1. The Senate would enable Africa to continue to tap the wisdom and accumulated political experience of some of its most historic statesmen and women.
2. It would help to give African heads of state the promise of a continuing honorific role, enable them to retain dignity, and thus engender the practice of a dignified retirement within Africa.
3. It would also help Africa to rescue the institution of the presidency from continuing to be a zero-sum game with the pervasive asinine mind set of "either I am President or I am nothing".

We hope that the OAU Council of Ministers and Presidents will heed our clarion call for the establishment of a Pan-African Senate which, we believe, will significantly address the sore emanating from the problem of political succession in Africa.

Sincerely,

signed

(001) Ibe Ibeike-Jonah, Ithaca NY

(Nigerian)

(002) Prof. Ali Mazrui, Director Global Cultural Studies, SUNY Binghamton NY

(003) Ed Mabaya, Mutare Zimbabwe

(004) Krishna Rao, New Delhi India

(005) Gibson Guvheya, Masvingo, Zimbabwean

(006) Dr Michel Del Buono, Cornell University/World Bank

(007) Araz Mekhtiev, Baku Azerbaijan

(008) Prof. Muna Ndulo, Cornell Law School, Ithaca

(Zambian)

(009) Francis I. Achike MD, Ph.D, Univ Malaya, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

(010) Dr Lawrence N. Okere, Univ of Arkansas at Pine

(Nigerian)

(011) Dr Abdelazim Balla Abdalla, Univ. of Malaysia

(Sudanese)

(012) Prince Olabode Ajose, North Brunswick NJ

(Nigerian)

(013) Dr Julius Spencer, Boston University

(Sierra Leonean)

(014) Ovo I. Dafe, Auburn AL

(015) Prof. Adeline Igho Apena, Sage Colleges, Troy NY

(Nigerian)

(016) Awad Ibrahim, Univ. of Toronto Canada

(Sudan)

(017) Safro Kwame, Lincoln University PA

(018) Prof. Tayoba Ngenge, West Virginia State College, WV

(019) Philip N. Ngundam, Bowie Maryland

(Cameroonian)

(020) Madinah Salaama Ali, Cornell University, Ithaca NY

(021) Golden Nwanoka, University of Massachussetts, Amherst

(022) Oguocha Ike, Saskatoon Canada

(023) Derrick Lewis, Freetown Sierra Leone

(024) Scot Ngozi-Brown, Cornell University, Ithaca NY

(025) Namara Rose Bakenegura

(MS) Uganda

(026) dele jegede, Indiana State University

(027) Caroline Hossein, Toronto Canada

(028) Dath Kakole Mita, Blantyre, Malawi

(029) Tunde Fagbenle, Baltimore Maryland

(030) Kamguia Mu Fedjo, MD, Kenosha Wisconsin

(Cameroonian)

(031) Tshidi Muendane, Ithaca NY

(South African)

(032) Elizabeth Rugege, Maseru Lesotho

(033) Charmaine Villet, Ohio University,

(Namibian)

(034) Asma Abdel Halim, Ohio University,

(Sudanese)

(035) Haile Girma, Partner Williams, Adley & Co, Oakland CA

(036) E. S. Atieno Odhiambo, Ndere-Alego, kenya

(037) Elsbeth Robson, University of Keele, UK

(038) Paulanco Thangata, Blantyre Malawi

(039) Dr William Agbor-Baiyee, Purdue Univ. Indianapolis IN

(040) Tsehai Berhane-Selassie, Tufts University

(Ethiopian)

(041) Jesse Wheeler, University of Wisconsin, Madison

(042) Orieji Hunwick, University of Wisconsin, Madison

(043) Prof. Dinesh Mohan, Indian Inst. of Tech, New Delhi, India

(044) Igor Cusack, Dept. of Politics, University of Bristol, UK

(045) Douglas Mughogho, Box 17775, Hillbrow Johannesburg, South Africa

(046) Dr Alan Barnard, Centre of African Studies, Univ of Edinburgh

(047) Humberto Muquingue, Fac Medicine, Maputo, Mozambique

(048) Brhane Gebrekidan, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg VA

(Ethiopian)

(049) Stephen Gudz, Cornell University, Ithaca NY

(050) Olakunle Oguneye, Valparaiso University

(Nigerian)

(051) Malik Al-Wardy, Cornell University, Ithaca NY

(052) Eskinder Shimelis, Oxnard CA

(Ethiopian)

(053) Ashraf Mohamed Ismail, Cornell University

(Egyptian)

(054) O. Jonathan Obaje, UPM Malaysia

(Nigerian)

(055) Ragendra DeSousa, Cornell University

(Mozambican)

(056) Dr Evie Plaice, University of Natal, Durban, South Africa

(057) Prof. Dotsevi Y. Sogah, Cornell University, Ithaca NY

(Ghanaian)

(058) Olawunmi Okurounwu, IBM UK

(Nigerian)

(059) Simeon Tchatchoua Numbem, Cornell University

(Cameroonian)

(060) April Jackson, Memphis TN

(061) Dr Ayele Bekerie, Africana Center, Cornell University

(062) Aishetu Fatima Kolo, Cornell University

(Nigerian)

(063) Dale Grosvenor, Iowa State University

(064) I. J. E. Blyden, CCNY CUNY, New York, NY

(065) Olatokunbo Olawoye, Univ. of Iowa

(Nigerian)

(066) Frederick Amoako Addison, Cornell University

(Ghanaian)

(067) Peter T. Agabi, Portland OR

(068) Adegoke Jimmy, Penn State University, PA

(Nigerian)

(069) Professor Steve Ugbah, CSUH Hayward

(Nigerian)

(070) Chris Cole, Pretoria South Africa

(071) Wylin Dassie, Cornell University, Ithaca NY

(072) Eric Mwangi, Nairobi Kenya

(073) Joan Mulondo, Inst. for African Dev. Cornell University

(074) Gilberto Manhica, UEM - Fac. Medicina, Maputo Mozambique

(075) Ndunge Kiiti, Nairobi Kenya

(076) Lawrence P. Boncraft, Cornell University

(077) Patience N. Tumwine, Kampala Uganda

(078) Joyce Jackson, Kumasi Ghana

(079) Amma Tanksley, Cornell University

(080) Lawal M. Marafa, Hong Kong

(Nigerian)

(081) Prof. Assis Malaquias, DOG, St Lawrence Univ.

(Angolan)

(082) Prof. T. Lumumba-Kasongo, Wells College NY

(Zairean)

(083) Akeem Adebowale, University of Maryland

(084) Adeoye Opeolu, University of Maryland

(085) Prof. Johnny Washington, Ph.D, Director, African American Studies, Southwest Missouri State Univ. Springfield MO

(086) Mwikali Kieti, York Univ. Toronto Canada

(087) Joseph N. Khamalah, Univ. of Waterloo, Canada

(088) Emmanuel Akinyele, Univ. of Maryland, Baltimore MD

(Nigerian)

(089) Joseph Munyesi, Nairobi Kenya

(090) Ntiedo Etuk, Cornell University, Ithaca NY

(Nigerian)

(091) Chinedum Osuji, MIT Boston, MA

(Nigerian)

(092) Jan Jasper, Ithaca NY

(093) T. J. Mucherera, Zimbabwe

(094) Dr Pal Ahluwalia, University of Adelaide, South Australia

(095) Runya Godfrey Mhetu, Jerera Zimbabwe

(096) Katie Janssen, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

(097) Obiora Ezenwa, President NCCNY, Syracuse NY

(098) Judith Atabo, Univ. of Nottingham, UK

(Nigerian)

(099) Joseph M. Mutava, Faculty of Law, Cambridge Uni., UK

(Kenyan)

(100) Enitan Obasanjo, Univ. of Nottingham, England

(Nigerian)

(101) Rhoda Nsibambi, Kampala Uganda

(102) Jean Kouadio, Abidjan, Cote D'Ivoire

(103) Peter Wanyama Madaka, Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Canada

(Ugandan)

(104) Steven Sebili, New York Tech, New York City

(Algerian)

(105) Dorcas Isutsa, Cornell University Ithaca NY

(Kenyan)

(106) Prof. Salah Hassan, Cornell University, Ithaca NY

(Sudanese)

(107) Francis Mangeni, Law Dept. LSE, England

(Ugandan)

(108) Rahmon Kelani, Univ. of California, Berkeley

(Nigerian)

(109) Prof. Mariam Mohammed, Cornell University

(Ghanaian)

(110) Kwabena Sabby, Sunyani, Ghana

(111) ayo ngozi-brown, Cornell University, Ithaca NY

(112)

(113)

(114)

- President Paul Biya of Cameroon, Outgoing OAU Chairman
- All African Heads of State
- Dr Stanislaus Mudenge, Zimbabwean Foreign Minister
- All African Foreign Ministers
- Dr Salim Ahmed Salim, OAU Secretary
- General
- Mr Kofi Annan, UN Secretary
- General
- Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Commonwealth of Nations Secretary
- General
- Mwalimu Julius K. Nyerere, former President of Tanzania
- Kenneth Kaunda, former President of Zambia
- Olusegun Obasanjo, former Head of State of Nigeria
- Leopold Senghor, former President of Senegal
- Nicephore Soglo, former President of Benin Republic
- Julius Maada Bio, former Head of State of Sierra Leone
- Ibrahima Sy, OAU Representative to the UN
- Edouard E. Benjamin, ECOWAS Executive Secretary
- Kaire Mbuende, SADC Executive Secretary
- K. Y. Amoako, ECA Executive Secretary
- All African Media Outlets
- All African Non
- governmental Organizations