Museveni: Retire? Who me? Not now
In what is the strongest hint yet that he will be seeking another five-year term in office during the country’s next general elections, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has said he is not about to retire.
While engaging with his social media followers on Monday, the 75-year old president said he would have retired long ago, but ‘Africa and Uganda’ still have so many challenges that he needs to confront.
“I would have retired long ago if I was sure that the crucial actors saw the danger that Africa has been in ever since 1453 when the Turks captured Constantinopole, blocked the silk road for the Europeans and forced them to come to Africa on their way to the East,” Museveni wrote.
“One of the strategic bottlenecks is market and political fragmentation. The medicine for this is economic and political integration. The medicine for market fragmentation and political balkanization is economic and political balkanization is economic integration like the EAC and also political actors, if they really care about Africa, talk about these issues in addition to talking about Museveni’s retirement?” he further explained.
“I am not impressed by any so-called leader or actor who does not see this danger and it has always been our conviction and our duty to wake up the Africans, work for their unity so as to insure our future. This is what keeps me in active politics as long as the Ugandan people support me. Wake up to the dangers Africa has been facing for the past 500 years,” the president went on to say.
AGE-LIMIT CLAUSE
President Museveni has ruled Uganda since shooting his way to State House in 1986.
He has since supported the removal of constitutional limits effectively meaning he has an opportunity to remain in power for as long as he wishes.
The other remaining hindrance to his ambition of remaining in power so as to ‘solve the many challenges facing Africa and Uganda’ was the presidential age-limit clause in the constitution, which was removed in 2017 following a chaotic process in Parliament.
Museveni’s ruling National Resistance Movement has already endorsed him to contest the presidency in 2021, with youthful politician Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine and opposition stalwart Kizza Besigye among those expected to challenge him.