How Africa
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria is of the notion that Mugabe has outstayed his Presidency and should, therefore, step down.
Many have called for President Mugabe to end his leadership of Zimbabwe for being unable to turn around the economy and welfare of the Zimbabwean people, despite being in power since Zimbabwe’s independence from Britain in 1980.
Mugabe, however, blames western states for being responsible for Zimbabwe’s ill fate, and he has also accused every detractor or opposition of being sponsored by the west. His reason being that the west wants him removed from office due to his seizure of white-owned farmlands in 2013.
Regardless of the opinions of his oppositions and even the Zimbabwean people who believe Mugabe should step down, Mugabe has made his ambition to run for the 2018 presidential elections public.
On Friday, during Obasanjo’s trip to Jamaica, the Jamaica Observer asked the former president about his stance on Mugabe’s continuous cling to power. Obasanjo, who served as president of Nigeria between 1999-2007, said that he believes Mugabe will only leave power when he decides to.
He was also asked if he thought Mugabe should step down. He said:
“Well, I believe that after he has stayed as long as he has, since 1980, I don’t believe there is something special that he wants to achieve that he has not so far achieved. I don’t believe there is magic that he wants to perform that he hasn’t performed.”
The Jamaica Observer also sought to know if Obasanjo believes Mugabe has betrayed the revolution.
“Well, he believes that he hasn’t. To the extent that the revolution was partly about land redistribution, I would say he has kept faith with the revolution. But to the extent that the revolution was also about democracy, that has not been able to take place. Particularly to the extent of ensuring that there is succession, then I would say he needs to put that in play before he goes, and it’s never too late to do that.”
