LEADERSHIP CONTESTATION AND REGIONAL INSECURITY: ASSESSMENT OF POLITICAL CONFLICTS ON WEST AFRICAN STATES

Abstract

Leadership and leaders are crucial in society and state, just as leader is
essential its appointment and emergence is of great importance and interest
to the citizens and effective functioning of state. Fractured states and
insecurity from perennial disputes over emergence of political leaders in
Africa are becoming alarmingly worrisome, because of its continuous
negative impacts on the fragile African states and already volatile Africa’s
international political environment.
The primary objective of the study is to investigate nexus between
contestation for leadership in a democratic system and insecurity in West
African states. Theoretical framework for the analysis is combination of
State Fragility Theory and Elite Theory. The study adopted qualitative
research methods in which secondary data is employed for analysis. The
study identifies poor democratic culture of inability to effectively disengage
from traditional political system by emerging African political
leaders/politicians as the basis of contestation problems. The study
concludes that African politicians perceives politics as a ‘must win race’,
absence of tolerance to political opponents/opposing views, imperial
presidency/desire to remain in power for eternity, prebendal politics, myopic
political elites/politicians, legacy of colonial administration of not rendering
service to humanity, obsession for pecks of office, power and glory as well
as love for title as some of the causes of contestation problems in African
politics and political life. The study recommends reorientation of African
political elites/politicians on the ethics of modern democracy, acceptance of

Ayika: Journal of Environment and Politics in Africa Vol. 2, No 2, 2020

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political leadership as service to humanity not a place to create imperial
presidency, and development and adoption of tolerance as an integral part
of democratic political culture.