Former lawmaker and renowned social critic, Senator Shehu Sani has stated that poisoned elections are responsible for the collapse of democracy in Africa.
Sani’s statement is coming on the heels of a coup by military officers in Gabon
The military in the early hours of Wednesday announced the seizure of power after the third term re-election of President Ali Bongo.
The BBC reported that top military officers made the announcement on Tuesday on national Television.
The officers reportedly announced they were annulling the outcome of Saturday’s election which the opposition had rejected and described as “fraudulent”.
However, Sani, in a post via his social media platform X, accused the Bongo family of dominating and destroying democracy in Gabon.
He wrote, “A BBC correspondent just reported people in Gabon are “genuinely” trooping out to the streets in support of the Coup in Libreville. The Bongo family dominated and destroyed Democracy. Democracy dies in Africa when elections are poisoned.
“Gabon’s father to Son Dictatorship has been overthrown by military coupists.Five decades of one family rule is not a democracy.This is what happens when democracy is suffocated.It’s sad.”
