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Lessons from Senegal: The Will of the People is Sacrosanct

Published

2 years ago

April 4, 2024

Eric

By Dolapo Aina

The Presidential elections which held on Sunday, March 24, 2024 was one election that the whole of West Africa and the African Continent watched with keen interests for several reasons which were pertinent to the regional bloc of ECOWAS and the Continental body of the African Union. In the West African region, Senegal has stood as a country with one of the most enviable political and democratic transition. This year’s election was not going to be different notwithstanding the myriad of political somersaults and political bottlenecks which the citizens of Senegal vociferously objected to. The two major candidates; Bassirou Diomaye Faye of PASTEF had the popular vote of 2,434,751 (54.28%) while Amadou Ba of the ruling party APR pulled 1,605,086 (35.79%).

For an on the ground and concise understanding of the dynamics of politics in Senegal, Dolapo Aina in search of answers and armed with some pertinent questions reached out to Senegal’s Dr. Fadel Ndiame, who is the CEO of Food Systems Transformation Solutions and the former Deputy President of AGRA and Nigeria’s Mr. Chris Ogunmodede, who is a consultant and policy analyst based in Dakar, Senegal.
In his own words, Chris Ogunmodede: “The conduct of the presidential election was as free, fair and transparent as an election could hope to be. There were virtually no reports of foul play anywhere and the results of the ejection generally reflected the will of the electorate.”

On the question about any doubts about the democratic processes in Senegal, Mr Ogunmodede further stated that: “I would say that I am a critic of the popular narrative about Senegal being a regional exception or “beacon of democracy in West Africa,” as is commonly said in mainstream discourse. While Senegal regularly conducts credible elections that reflect popular opinion, it is not immune to the same pitfalls of authoritarianism, weak party systems and political interference that other West African countries experience and the events of the last few months (and even the last few years) bear that out.”

On the factors that made the electorate vote in Bassirou Diomaye Faye as the new President, the Nigerian who resides in Senegal went thus: “Senegalese voters were largely disappointed with the tenure of President Macky Sall, who began his presidency with so much promise but soiled his reputation with his overreach and failure to ensure that Senegal’s macroeconomic indicators made a meaningful impact in the lives of people. The last straw was his ill-fated bid for a third term and imposition of an unpopular candidate on his party.”

Africans who followed the elections in Senegal voiced and chorused a ubiquitous question bordering about the uniqueness of Senegal’s democracy that the rest of Africa does not know about or unaware of. Mr Chris Ogunmodede posited and quoting him verbatim: “I would say that there is a lack of nuanced knowledge about Senegal’s political system that reflects the Anglophone bias of media coverage of Africa. But one thing other Africans must know is that for all Senegal’s shortcomings, its impressive civic participation beyond elections is something the rest of the continent can learn from.”

Senegal’s Dr. Fadel Ndiame described the just concluded elections positing that: “The elections and their outcomes were both exceptional and deeply significant in terms of the size of the victory of the opposition candidate. The irruption of PASTEF and its political discourse brought to the fore a narrative of change, a break away from the dominant system of patronage and mismanagement of public resources and corruption. It popularised a sense of deep hope for a more democratic, prosperous country, anchored on a strong ideology of political independence, shared economic prosperity and social inclusion which resonate very well with the aspirations of the Senegalese voters, especially the younger ones.”

Dr. Ndiame further elucidated that: “The biggest challenge that I see for the newly elected President and the opposition movement that brought President Faye to the Presidency, is to live up to the expectations of those who voted for them and the aspirations of the Senegalese population at large.”

On doubt(s) about the democratic processes in Senegal, the top agriculture expert went thus: “Yes, at many points in the process there were some worrying signs that the electoral process would not abide to democratic principles and constitutional rules. The most significant factors having been the imprisonment of the most popular candidates (who eventually) won the contest on a landslide, despite their last-minute release from prison and the large number of candidates. Luckily it was possible for the main political contenders to find an acceptable arrangement which enabled the continuation of the political process and the inclusion of some or the key political figures to compete for the vote of the Senegalese people. There were also some concerns about the integrity of the whole electoral process.”

On the possible factors that made the electorate vote in Bassirou Diomaye Faye as the new President of Senegal; Dr Ndiame posited that: “This requires more studies of the election results and how the vote distribution across region and demographics groups. But it seems like the leadership of PASTEF succeeded in articulating the concerns and aspirations of voters and especially the younger segments of the voters who were eager to sanction the ruling party and its candidates.”

Other contributing factors could have been the popular perception that the government of the day was compromising the constitutional rules, and abusively cracking down of the leading opposition party and leader; containing and curtailing the freedom of the independent media, while controlling the parliament and the judiciary. The election of President Diomaye is to be a popular referendum against that system. So said the former deputy President of AGRA.
On the question about Senegal’s democracy that the rest of Africa might not be aware of, Dr Ndiame wen thus: “Well, I would say Senegal has a historical tradition of democracy and constitutionally grounded rights for people and their institutions; while the system still needs to be strengthened to maintain checks and balances, and ensure an equilibrium between different centres of powers (political, economic, social and religious. In my view, this is what we are experiencing in Senegal which is simply; political and citizenry maturation processes that take time and require the good will of the leadership of all sectors (public, private, civil society, the religious and traditional). Ultimately for Senegal and any other country, the priority is to build and strengthen our institutions, guarantee the full independence of the judicial system, investing in the political literacy and education of the electorate, to enable their voices heard in a loud, but peaceful and democratic way.”

As President-elect Bassirou Diomaye Faye gets inaugurated as the President of Senegal on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, the citizens of the West African country are expectant and will hold their leaders accountable as they have always done. One major lesson from Senegal is that the unflinching will of the people must be obeyed by all and sundry including players, partakers and observers. And most importantly, the will of the electorate is sacrosanct still.

Featured

How I Made Buhari President in 2015 – Amaechi

Published

4 hours ago

May 25, 2026

Eric

Former Rivers State Governor and ex-Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, has said that he, and not President Bola Tinubu, played the pivotal role in making late Muhammadu Buhari president in 2015.

In a Friday interview on Arise News’ Prime Time, Amaechi, who is now a presidential aspirant under the African Democratic Congress, addressed longstanding claims by Tinubu.

During his pre-2023 campaigning, Tinubu said Buhari would not have become president without him and that it was his turn to become one too.

But Amaechi explained that as a serving minister under Buhari, he could not publicly challenge Tinubu’s assertions to avoid risking his position.

“When we decided to form the APC, while I was a minister, (Tinubu) was claiming he made Buhari president and I couldn’t respond because I was a minister under President Buhari. That would have been suicidal because Buhari could fire you,” Amaechi said.

He continued, “So I couldn’t have said, ‘You are wrong.’ He didn’t make President Buhari president. Not only was I the DG of the campaign, but everybody will bear witness that I did all the battle.

“I led the Governors’ Forum, criss-crossed the country fighting here and there trying to get Nigerians to know that this is the time for change.”

Amaechi served as Director-General of Buhari’s 2015 and 2019 presidential campaigns.

He was a key figure in the 2013–2014 defection of PDP governors that helped form the APC alliance, which ultimately defeated President Goodluck Jonathan.

However, Tinubu was also instrumental in Buhari’s emergence, leading the merger of major opposition parties, including his Action Congress of Nigeria, to form the All Progressives Congress, which challenged and defeated the then-ruling PDP.

The remarks come amid Amaechi’s positioning for the 2027 presidential race as part of the growing opposition coalition under the ADC.

He has been vocal in recent months criticising the Tinubu administration over economic hardship.

Featured

GLO: The Undisputed Digital Oxygen

Published

1 day ago

May 24, 2026

Eric

By Dr. Sani Sa’idu Baba

In medicine, oxygen is the invisible molecule upon which all human life depends. Remove it, and the body shuts down almost instantly. The brain weakens, the heart struggles, and every organ begins to fail. As someone who studies how the human body works, I have always understood the centrality of oxygen to biological existence. But in recent years, watching Nigerian society evolve in the digital age, I have arrived at another conclusion: connectivity has become the oxygen of modern civilisation.

Without network connectivity today, businesses freeze, students lose access to learning, hospital records fall into jeopardy, POS transactions struggle, markets slow down, and families become disconnected. Digital access is no longer a luxury; it is the infrastructure upon which modern life breathes.

And in Nigeria, one network increasingly stands out as the supplier of that digital oxygen: GLO.

Across campuses, markets, offices, villages, and urban centres, millions of Nigerians now depend on the Glo network for the daily rhythm of their lives. For students, it powers e-learning, research databases, virtual classrooms, and academic collaboration. For traders and entrepreneurs, it sustains mobile banking, online transactions, advertising, and customer communication. For farmers in rural communities, it ensures communication with farmland workers. For doctors and healthcare professionals, it enables telemedicine and rapid information exchange. In many homes, Glo is the invisible bridge connecting families separated by distance.

This is why many Nigerians increasingly describe Glo not merely as a telecom company, but as a necessity.

What is even more fascinating is the growing public confidence in Glo’s reliability, something I have personally witnessed. I recently observed a man asking a shop attendant to call his boss. After placing the call once, the attendant calmly replied, “Sir, his phone is switched off.” The man insisted he should call repeatedly before concluding. The attendant smiled and responded, “Sir, I am using Glo network. If Glo says the phone is unavailable, then it is unavailable.” Everyone around laughed, but beneath the humour was a powerful reality: people increasingly trust the reliability and clarity of the Glo network. That brief moment was more than a casual conversation; it was a testimony to the confidence Glo has quietly built among Nigerians.

The reality becomes even clearer during moments of national stress. In an era defined by climate change, unstable electricity supply, flooding, extreme heat, and infrastructural disruption, telecommunications networks face enormous pressure. Floodwaters damage fibre optic cables. Heat weakens sensitive electronic systems. Power failures destabilise base stations. Yet despite these challenges, millions of Nigerians continue to experience remarkable connectivity stability on Glo.

That stability is not accidental. Globacom has continued to invest heavily in infrastructure upgrades and network improvement projects aimed at enhancing customer experience nationwide. For millions of Nigerians, clearer calls and faster internet are no longer wishes but daily realities because of the company’s sustained commitment to expanding and strengthening its network systems.

What makes Glo exceptional is not simply its coverage, but its resilience. The company has increasingly embraced hybrid energy solutions involving solar systems and battery storage technology to reduce dependence on diesel-powered infrastructure. This improves network reliability during grid failures while simultaneously reducing environmental pressure. Glo has also undertaken extensive fibre reconstruction and relocation projects across Nigeria, redesigning network routes to withstand environmental disruptions such as flooding, erosion, and climate-related damage. Its investments in expanded spectrum capacity and advanced technologies have further improved efficiency, enabling stronger data delivery and smoother connectivity for subscribers across the country.

From my vantage point in Kano, a region experiencing intense heat and significant environmental pressure, the importance of resilient connectivity cannot be overstated. For traders in Sabon Gari Market, network access means economic survival. For students at Bayero University, it means uninterrupted learning and research. For countless young Nigerians trying to build digital businesses, it means opportunity itself.

In many respects, Glo functions like the respiratory system of Nigeria’s digital society. The Glo-1 submarine cable and Glo fibre optics act like lungs, bringing global bandwidth into the country. The national fibre network resembles blood vessels distributing connectivity nationwide. The 4G LTE base stations function like capillaries, delivering data directly to the individual user whether in Kano or far beyond.

The subscriber shouting “Glo Unlimited!” during a blackout while data continues flowing is not merely celebrating affordable internet. They are experiencing the result of years of investment, resilience engineering, and technological foresight.

Calling Glo “The Digital Oxygen” of Nigeria is therefore not poetic exaggeration, it is an acknowledgment of reality. In a country where millions now live, learn, trade, communicate, and dream through digital connectivity, Glo has become more than a network provider. It has become the vital breath upon which modern Nigerian life increasingly depends…

Dr. Sani Sa’idu Baba writes from Kano, and can be reached via drssbaba@yahoo.com

Featured

Ooni of Ife, Wife Welcome Twin Sons

Published

1 week ago

May 15, 2026

Eric

The Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has announced the birth of twin princes with his wife Mariam Ajibola, to the Royal House of Oduduwa.

The monarch disclosed this in a post shared on his official Facebook page on Friday, expressing gratitude to God for the safe delivery of the children and the wellbeing of their mother.

“To God be all the glory and adoration for His wondrous works and abundant blessings once again.

The announcement has drawn congratulatory messages from admirers and members of the Yoruba royal institution celebrating the arrival of the newborn princes.

After his marriage to Naomi Silekunola ended, the Ooni married several queens within a short period in 2022.

Among the queens are Mariam Anako, Elizabeth Akinmuda, Tobiloba Phillips, Ashley Adegoke, Ronke Ademiluyi and Temitope Adesegun.

During celebrations marking his 48th birthday and seventh coronation anniversary, the monarch explained that his marriages were connected to the traditional heritage and responsibilities attached to the throne of Ile-Ife.