Power without End: Unpacking Africa's Sit-Tight Syndrome
EYINA, Nkatomba Nkatomba, PhD, THOMMANUEL, Ibiba
Abstract
This paper seeks to analyze the causal factors behind the sit-tight syndrome in African leadership, the dynamics of political power, and authoritarianism that lead to the long-term tenure of leaders that is beyond constitutional boundaries. It also examines the socio-political and economic impacts of this form of leadership and measures the success of the regional and international reactions, especially the African Union (AU) and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The qualitative research method was chosen and secondary data sources were used as books, journal publications, government reports, and international news. The content analysis was used to determine the common patterns and themes related to sit-tight leadership in African countries. The results showed that constitutional manipulation, political centralisation, and authoritarian tendencies are some of the key factors that contribute to the sit-tight syndrome in African leadership. These aspects are detrimental to democratic processes, institutions and aggravate socio-economic challenges like poverty, corruption and social vices. Also, it was discovered that the effectiveness of the AU and ECOWAS was mixed in dealing with sit-tight leadership, which was usually hampered by the absence of enforcement authority and internal fragmentation. The paper has found that the sit-tight syndrome is one of the major impediments to the democratization and economic growth of Africa. Although regional organisations such as the AU and ECOWAS are significant in the promotion of constitutional order, their actions have been wanting in most instances because of political goodwill and poor institutional structures. The paper has based on the above recommended that: constitutional safeguards should be strengthened to prevent manipulation of term limits and integrity of electoral processes; institutional integrity should be enforced through strengthening of independent polit
Keywords
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