Publisher of Ovation Magazine, Mr. Dele Momodu, has asserted that President Buhari should not seek re-election in 2019 because he will be too tired due to his old age.
Momodu in an interview said, ”Nigeria needs a man with full stamina”, as Nigeria’s President should not be more than 65 years old, but Buhari is much older than that, so should step down after the end of his tenure.
“He will be at least 76 years by next year; at that age, I believe he would be too tired to run a nation as complex and as complicated as Nigeria. Right now, Nigeria needs a man with full stamina.
“I have no doubt in my mind that even if he does not want to run, some people are going to push him to run because their lives depend on it. If he goes, they are gone. But unfortunately, I don’t know what he is enjoying in power again; God has done everything for him.”
According to Momodu, there are certain things that must be done swiftly to rescue the Country from an impending collapse.
He suggests that anyone above 65 years old should not be admitted into power since that is the retirement age.
He also opined that zoning should be eliminated, as it is not part of the constitution and whoever is qualified should be given the mandate to run.
“Why do we want to prevent our best brains from contesting for the most important office in the country? I think if Nigerians are serious, the time has come for them to kill zoning before it kills Nigeria.”
He expressed his desire for the next President to be well exposed, educated and can communicate in the language of today.
President Muhammadu Buhari might be old, but there are several leaders who are more aged and still ruling.
1. Beji Caid Essebsi – Tunisia
President Beji Caid Essebsi of Tunisia is the oldest serving leader of a State, after overtaking Robert Mugabe, who stepped down as President of Zimbabwe last December at 93.
Essebsi is 91 years old and the first democratically elected leader in 2014, following the revolution which gave way to the Arab Spring.
Essebsi was seen as a father figure until unemployment rate began to skyrocket, reaching 35% in a country dominated by citizens in their early thirties. Essebsi made attempt to pass a Financial Act which has led to protest in Tunisia, as the Act contains austerity measures the people are not ready for. Corruption in Tunisia has also been described as endemic under Essebsi.
2. Raúl Castro – Cuba
86-year-old Castro is the current President of Cuba, after taking charge of power from his brother, Fidel Castro in 2006. Though, he has announced his intention to step down in 2018.
Castro came into office with what sounded like “Change” promising 300 reforms. Many however argue that not much has changed in the 5 years he has been in power. Although he runs a more open economy and a campaign against corruption, critics have described Mr. Castro’s moves as one step forward and two steps backward. These criticisms are however louder among western media houses which are openly against Mr. Castro’s brand of Socialism.
3. Paul Biya – Cameroon
Paul Biya has been the President of Cameroon since 1982. He is currently 84 years old and still seeking re-election in 2018 after 35-years in office.
Biya is described as aloof, with very few public appearances. He is known to fly to Switzerland to “work” for sometimes as short as 2 weeks and at other times as long as 3 months.
In its 35 years of rule, Biya has consolidated power so much so even the court cannot look into the constitutionality of a law except he says so. And this is constitutional. From imprisoning writers to imprisoning journalists and having to deal with protests from Anglophone Cameroon. Biya does not seem to run a stable government. Biya also has a secession group to deal with in the South.
4. Queen Elizabeth II – England
The queen who is currently 91, has ruled Britain since 1952 when she was 25 years old. Although her position as a monarch is for life, she has ruled for 65 years.
There seems to be unnecessary complexity in explaining how the British government works. A complexity that seems to explain away the fact that it is a Monarchy.
According to Walter Bagehot, a British Constitutional Lawyer, Queen Elizabeth II
“could disband the army; she could dismiss all the officers. .she could sell off all our ships-of-war and all our naval stores; she could make a peace by the sacrifice of Cornwall and begin a war for the conquest of Brittany. She could make every citizen in the United Kingdom, male or female, a peer; she could make every parish in the United Kingdom a ‘University’; she could dismiss most of the civil servants, and she could pardon all offenders.”
The Queen does not seem to be up for criticism. An argument which can be made for Monarchy system, as the King or Queen is far from political tussle, unlike the Prime Minister she has to appoint from the majority party.
5. Abdelaziz Bouteflika – Algeria
The 81 years old President of Algeria presided over the ending of the Algerian Civil war, he granted amnesty like President Yar’adua did and went ahead to win an election by 81% of votes. He also secured the peace treaty with Eritrea and Ethiopia and supported peace in African Great Lakes region. He went ahead to win a second term with 85% of the votes.
Like President Buhari he was also sick at some point, spending months in Paris and not being seen in public for close to 2 years. This, however, did not stop him from running a third term and winning by 90%. He won a fourth term with 75% but in February 2017 the German Chancellor had to cancel her tribe to Algeria just an hour to take off because Bouteflika had Bronchitis. He still struggles with his health.
