Author: Isaac Kwabena Boadu
Africa has long been plagued by continuous dependency on the West, and our quest to change this narrative is constantly threatened by certain stooges who prioritize their own interests over the continent’s progress. Togo, under the rule of the Gnassingbé dynasty, is a prime example of this phenomenon. We are in a battle and we must be resolute in fighting against that dependency mindset that has taken over Africa, and one of our conquest lies in the exit of Faure Gnassingbé, with due respect, whose dynasty holds on firmly to the grip of dictatorial power in Togo. This must cease now!
In every National Anatomy, there are pathogens! These pathogens seek to discredit the chain of the revolution in ensuring pluralistic Freedom. It is very quintessential, that we are very vigilant to fight against these pathogens that fight against the goodwill of the land. These pathogens are everywhere. They seek to delay processes and create potholes in the struggle for the true amelioration of our national anatomies. They are not nationalists. They are pathogens and they ae found in our political parties, our churches, our mosques, our state institutions and in our private sectors. We have to be vigilant to siphon out the good from the bad for the true political anatomy, we want. The current parliamentary system in Togo is one made up of pathogens that are concerned towards satisfying their parochial desires at the expense of the nation’s sovereignty.
Eyadema Gnassingbé, Faure Gnassingbé’s father on April 14th 1967 ousted Nicholas Grunitzky who was the second president of Togo under colonial rule from 1963 to 1967. By 1969, his party, the Rally of the Togolese People was the country’s only legal party which made him without opposition, win the 1972 elections. Eyademma Gnassingbé who took power in 1967, ruled until his death in 2005. On 25th August, 1993, presidential elections were held in Togo being the first to feature more than one presidential candidate and in 1994, the country had their first multi-party elections with two rounds of parliamentary elections. In 1998, Eyademma also won the elections with 51.13 % of the votes.
Now In 2002, the constitution was amended to remove term limits and post that, Eyademma Gnassingbe won the 2003 elections with 57.78 of the votes but passed on, in February 5th 2005. President Eyademma didn’t have a vice president and at the time, the constitution demanded that, the president of the National assembly will take over temporarily if the president’s position became vacant due to death. However, at the time, Fambara Quattara Natchaba who was president of the National assembly was out of the country and the military installed Faure Gnassingbé as the country’s new president which received international criticism. His son, Faure Gnassingbé, succeeded him and has been president since then. Faure Gnassingbé has been in power for three terms, and in 2024, he revised the constitution to clear term limits, paving the way for his indefinite rule. The creation of a new office, President of the Council of Ministers, has further consolidated his power.
The Togolese Anatomy has been marginalized in the decision-making process, with a set of elitists dictating the country’s destiny. The views of the people towards shaping the progress of the nation have been nullified, and their voices ignored. This blatant disregard for democracy and human rights is a stark reminder of the need for change. We cannot settle for less. We must fight against this affront to our dignity and heritage. Faure Gnassingbé, as a stooge to African awakening, must be held accountable for his actions, if we want the Togolese Anatomy to remain true to their democratic principles. It is time for Africans to take control of their own destiny and shape their own future. We must not remain cowards in our own land.
What is going on is not a joke. This is hell! Togo is on the verge to becoming a non-african entity to become a mainstream comprador for European colonisation again under the auspices of Faure Eyademma who seeks to continue to the Gnassingbé dynasty. The voice of the people is not being heard in the country. It is the voice of Faure Gnassingbé that is being heard alone across the entire West African nation that has ceased to be an Anatomy, but now a colony. The future of Africa depends on our collective efforts to promote democracy, good governance, and human rights. We must support those who are fighting for their rights and freedoms, and we must hold accountable those who seek to undermine them. The time for change is now, and we must seize it with determination and courage. Africa’s progress is our collective responsibility, and together, we can create a brighter future for ourselves and future generations.
The new Africa we are fighting for is one centered on Democratic development and not elitist development alone at the expense of the true people who make up the entirety of the nation. The Gnassingbé family has taken over Togo for almost six decades now. If the country was Gnassingbé alone, then the country should be renamed to be called Gnassingbé country and not Togo, who have metamorphosed from a colonial dynasty to a sovereign state. Aren’t there elites in Togo? Aren’t there people who have what it takes to take over and rule the country? Why are members of the Togolese Anatomy being blindfolded, being blackmailed, being denied of their Democratic Freedom and being silently killed?
This must not happen. If President Gnassingbé wants to rule, he must do so clearly and not hide behind the scenes of the President of the Council of Ministers whiles he takes the supreme role as President of the country. The Burkina Faso, Mali and Guinea leadership we are seeing under military leadership is so because of the facade democracy that is being practiced in their nations. Even with them, they have promised to restore their coy try back to constitutional rule and within the interim period, I can boldly boast of the Alliance of Sahel States performing even much better than the ECOWAS. Military leader Brice Oliguria Nguema has transitioned into a President because he wants to rule as President Remember, he was voted for and he promised to lead a democratically styled leadership into the country. Let’s see how it goes on in there.
Africa is for Africans and we must take our destinies into our own hands and do the needful to erase the deceptive leadership like that of Faure Gnassingbé, Paul Biya of Cameroon amongst others who are trying to cover the African Renaissance which is trying restore an era of human dignity, probity and justice on the African soil. In as much as the constitution appends a single term for the President, it does not count his previous term and as far as his party has a majority in the National Assembly, he will be in office as far as he wants to stay, without any limits. His government banned protests against the constitutional reforms and banned the Catholic church rom employing electoral observers for the parliamentary elections. This is a shame to the African Anatomy, we are building!!!!!
Let us rise and build Africa. Today the President is voted not by the people but by parliamentarians. This is certainly not a democracy. The removal of limits on terms adds a shock yet we have not seen ECOWAS make a comment on this. This not the Africa we want. The Africa we want involves an involvement by the people and not one, where the people are robbed of their contribution towards how the nation is governed. The nation is not for his family and tribe but for the entire Togolese Anatomy. The Gnassingbé family must be kicked out now!!! The systems have been polluted and corrupted but we will never settle for less. We shall continue to revolutionize, change and transform the Global Anatomy.
AFRICAN VOICES INTERNATIONAL, FREEDOM IN AFRICA
