<<Print>>

Former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, has questioned the president of Togo, Faure Gnassingbé has anything new to offer his country after 12 years of rule which has triggered national anti-Gnassinngbe protests.

Protests have continued in the francophone country in the last three days as opposition supporters demand the resignation of Mr. Gnassingbé and an end to what they say has become the Gnassingbé dynasty. Security in the country is currently fragile and many fear the situation could explode. Internet services have been shut down in Togo while mobile services cannot be accessed.

Speaking to the BBC on the current tension in Togo, Mr Obasanjo questioned if Mr. Gnassingbé still have ideas to move the development of Togo forward having ruled for 12 years after he took over from his father who also ruled for 38 years.

He underscored the need for the country to have a new constitution that will set a term limit for the presidency. “I believe that President Faure Gnassingbé will have to do something about it. I believe he should have a new constitution that will have limits to the number of times that anybody can be president and he should abide by that,” he told BBC’s Peter Okwoche. He added: “I believe whatever he has to do; in terms of development, whatever ideas he has, he must have exhausted them by now unless he has something new that we don’t know”.

Asked whether he will say the same for about other African leaders who have clung onto power for decades, he responded in the positive, describing those leaders as “rare commodity” whose days are numbered. “Well, after 12, 15 years…I think they are becoming rare commodity and maybe if you don’t leave office, what happens? Office will leave you. Not too long ago President dos Santos decided to leave office. Maybe others will see wisdom in what he has done”.