Senator Shehu Sani, Former member of the National Assembly has identified five reasons for the increasing reemergence of military takeover of governments in Africa, especially in the West African sub-region.
Sani, while speaking in an interview with newsmen, in Abuja, frowned at what he considers the increasing reemergence of juntas in the politics of especially West African countries but maintained that they keep recurring because the conditions were being created for them to return.
“Coup d’etats are internal issues and they do not happen within a day. Conditions are created for the military to take over power. And in West Africa today there are about five conditions that I have noted to be responsible.
“First is the destruction of democratic values. Elections are rigged. Many people who call themselves democrats have no respect for the Rule of Law.
“When that is done the spirit of democracy is killed and the seed for the destruction of democracy is planted.
“Second, is economic in-equity and inequality. There is so much poverty in the land. And when you have poverty, you have social dislocation and social crisis. Henceforth, gives justification for people to say democracy is not working because people are suffering, so the military needs to take over.
Sani identified the third reason as the issue of insecurity.
“The rise of terror groups in the Sahel – Boko Haram, the ANSARU, ISWAP – has made civilian authorities become dependent on the military for their safety and security. “There is so much reliance on them,” he said.
“The fourth has to do with the fact that there is no coordinated attempt to save democracy in Africa. You find that whenever there is a coup there is no coordinated strategy or penalty for coups. And they happen and continue to happen.
“So, the coup in Niger could have been prevented if democracy was saved.
“Fifth reason: There are issues regarding the election of Niger’s ousted president Mohammed Bazoum which ECOWAS and the African Union (AU) closed their eyes to.
