Mahama Rejects Mugabe-Type Presidency

President John Mahama has challenged his colleague African leaders not to cling on to power by manipulating their country�s constitutions. According to him, African leaders must respect the face that �you don�t have divine right to rule your people and knowledge is not reposed in one person and that you come, you do your part, you go, others come and continue from where you left off.� The President also entreated Africans not to only pay lip service in proclaiming the legacies of the late Nelson Mandela but demonstrate it in their lives. Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe since 1987, the late General Gnassingbe Eyadema who was the President of Togo from 1967 until his death in 2005, the President of Angola, Jose Eduardo dos Santos who has been president since 1979, Equitoria Guinea�s Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo-1979 till date and other life-presidents in Africa have come under intense pressure from their citizens for clinging on to power for far too long. President Mahama noted that although the late Mandela �came under a lot of persuasion to stand for President again, he declined and after his first term, he gave it up and passed it on to the next generation which was Thabo Mbeki and his batch so I think that here are a lot of lessons we can take.� He expressed regrets that some African leaders� just want to stay on and stay on. In my book, I wrote something my father used to say that you leave when the applause is the loudest. �When the applause is the loudest, sometimes, you get swollen headed and you think that you are �jack Toronto� and that you can go on and on. Eventually, it becomes negative.� The president took the opportunity to call on Madam Gracia Machel, widow of the late former President Nelson Mandela of South Africa, to commiserate with her and the entire family.