Daily Independent Online.
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Wednesday, July 07, 2004.
Obasanjo elected AU chairman
By Tony Eluemunor
Abuja
Bureau Chief
When
President Olusegun Obasanjo on Tuesday received the unanimous support of
African heads of state and governments to be the next Chairman of the African
Union (AU), it marked the end of an intense lobby effort that began in Abuja
last December during the Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meeting (CHOGM).
South
African President Thabo Mbeki started the move to draft him. His argument was
that the continent needed the Nigerian President to use his clout to put the
issue of the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) in proper
perspective.
Later,
Mbeki teamed up with the out-going AU Chairman, Angolan President Joachim
Chisano, to push Obasanjo’s candidature for the post by trying to
convince their colleagues that two enormous reforms faced the AU: the ending of
wars, especially internal conflicts, in Africa, to make way for the second
reform; economic development.
On
the issue of wars, they identified the problem areas to be the Great Lakes
region, Horn of Africa and the Mano River Basin of West Africa.
Selling
the Obasanjo candidature to North Africans fell on Algerian President Abdulaziz
Butaflika, who has been a close associate of Obasanjo’s on NEPAD for
long. Chisano was to handle the
Central African leaders. Senegalese President Abdullai Warde, the out-going AU
Chairman, would rally West African leaders.
At
first Obasanjo was said to have shown little interest, until it became clear
that no other African leader was eyeing the post.
The
decision to give him the responsibility emerged during CHOGM meeting last
December. All that was left was for the Anglophone countries to get their
Francophone brothers not to support any opposition. In the end, Obasanjo got
his wish; the decision was unanimous.
By
the end of last year, it was known in Abuja’s inner cycles that he would
assume the AU leadership. He too began to do a mop up campaign, increasing his
visits to African countries.
Last
week, he was in Libya to convince Mummar Ghadafi, who wanted to boycott the
Addis Abba meeting, to change his mind.
Obasanjo
will hold the two top most AU positions simultaneously; the Chairmanship as
well as Chairman, Peace and Security Council.
