UNDOCK ALL AFRICAN TOTEM PRESIDENTS IN 2026 ELECTIONS.

UNDOCK ALL AFRICAN TOTEM PRESIDENTS IN 2026 ELECTIONS.

For five years, a more youthful Yoweri Museveni waged bush war in a bid to grab power, armed with a ten point transformative agenda. On 30^th January 1986, he dislodged from power, the then president, General Tito Okello Lutwa. In a celebratory mood, he made the famous inauguration proclamation, “The problem of Africa in general and Uganda in particular is not the people, but leaders who want to overstay in power.’’ 40 years later, he is imbibing the wine for the water he promised.

In Africa, Presidents are venerated as totems that poses wealth, resources, knowledge and in some cases, magical and supernatural powers. Most of them have no useful knowledge but carefully constructed false and hollow narratives carved and hammered into their subjects’ minds distorting their mental wavelength.

In 2026, At least eight states in Africa are set to have their presidential elections. For me this is an opportunity for these countries to press their leadership reset mode and refresh their socio-political trajectory.

The liberator-turned-oppressor, Kaguta Museveni opens the chapter on 15^th January 2026 in what he is seen as another round of electoral comedy. Museveni, battling for a seventh term is running against seven other candidates, including the indefatigable Robert ‘’BobiWine’’ Kyangulanyi running on the National Unity Platform (NUP). He is the primary opposition leader and finished second in the 2021 election. Museveni cons his electorates’ conscience by falsely saying it is the Ugandans who want him to keep on overstaying in power. These ironical statement is despite his continued pilferage of state resources, state sanctioned killings, jailing opposition leaders including Kizza Besigye, corruption and nepotism.

82-year-old Denis Sassou Nguesso another dictator and former military officer has served as president of the Republic of the Congo since 1997. He also previously served as president from 1979 to 1992. Therefore, for over three decades, the frail dictator is seeking another term after shamelessly removing the presidential term limit in 2015. The ruthless dictator has participated in at least three coups aiming to be at the center of power and is closely grooming his son; Denis-Christel Sassou Nguesso a member of the National Assembly to succeed him. Apparently, this is not the first time he is dispersing his dictatorial seeds since another dictator, Omar Bongo, former president of Gabon, was his son in law after he maarried Nguesso’s daughter, Édith Lucie Bongo Ondimba.

In April, Benin, Djbouti and Libya will hold their presidential polls. In Benin, Patrice Guillaume Athanase Talon who came from the business field and pledges of constitutional and economic reforms should be applauded for not pursuing his leadership comfort for not standing in for elections. He has however, been accused of political intolerance and clamping down human rights and freedoms. However, his demonstrated push for limiting presidential term limits to 5 years should not go unnoticed. In Djibouti, Ismaïl Omar Guelleh, the current president, in power since 1999, officially announced his candidacy for a sixth term on November 8, 2025. His nomination by the ruling Popular Rally for Progress (RPP) followed a constitutional amendment in October 2025 that removed the 75-year age limit for presidential candidates. He will run against Alexis Mohamed (Gueldon), a former international spokesperson and close adviser to the President Guelleh who has publicly criticized his nomination as a “self-proclamation”. In Libya, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of the late Muhamar Gaddafi is expected to face off four (still counting) other candidates in the planned mid-April elections. May Libyans utilize this opportunity to stabilize their country and wad off negative international influence since the death of Gaddafi senior.

In July São Tomé and Príncipe’s Presidential elections will be held to either replace or reappoint the current one, 66 year old Carlos Manuel Vila Nova, and his Prime Minister, Américo Ramos. In October 2026, Jose Neves, an accomplished writer and a straight thinking political leader who once noted in his book, Africa Stop Blaming Colonialism, will be seeking another term. While acknowledging the harmful effects of slavery and colonialism on Africa, Neves said in December 2006 that African leaders were primarily responsible for the continent’s present-day problems, and that they “must assume their responsibility to develop a clear strategy for Africa’s future that takes advantage of all of its human capabilities and natural resources”.

The Gambia, unless another chance happens, will close the year with their presidential elections in December. We all remember the disillusioned, Yahya Jammeh who ruined the tiny peninsula West African country for decades. Tired of tyranny, 4 brave soldiers burst a planned rigging syndicate and razed down materials that Jammeh was to use for electoral fraud. The country pressed the reset mode and brought in the incumbent, Adama Barrow but seemingly did not press hard enough as Barrow is seeking the third term. May the Gambians roll the marbles, which they use instead of polling papers to bring democracy to their country.

From this analysis, it is clear that 8 states are led by old leaders who are not ready to bring change to their countries but continue clinging to the sits of power. Truly, African voters now have the opportunity to kick out those tyrants who they hold as totems and replace them with democratic rulers.