by MTHULISI SIBANDA
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – APPARENTLY seeking global relevance but accused of hypocrisy in their unstable countries, some African presidents have condemned the shooting of the United States’ Republican candidate, Donald Trump, this past weekend.
In their backyards, the African leaders have come under criticism for alleged double standards.
They are condemning the incident in Pennsylvania, regarded as election violence. Yet, these leaders are at the helm of their countries after elections that were marred by tragic violence and vote rigging claims.
The prevailing message among critics is that the African leaders must address the violence at their doorstep, rather than prioritising the equally escalating situation in pre-election America..
Trump, the one-term president of the US (2017-21), survived an alleged assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania.
He sustained an ear injury and the suspected sniper was killed.
Trump (78) is gunning for a return to the White House. He has emerged a serious challenger to the current president, Joe Biden (81), of the Democrats, in what is anticipated to be a bruising poll.
In Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu denounced the attack on Trump as “distasteful and goes beyond the pale of democratic norms.”
“Violence has no place in democracy,” he continued.
Tinubu extended sympathies to the former president and those wounded.
“Nigeria stands in solidarity with the United States of America at this time,” he concluded.
This received backlash among Tinubu’s compatriots considering Tinubu’s election in 2023 was preceded by political killings, bombings and armed clashes between supporters of rival political factions.
There was some infighting within the parties along ethnic lines.
Tinubu was accused of perpetrating violence and rigging, with the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) the main rival of his All Progressives Congress (APC).
“We haven’t forgotten how your Ronu Terrorists killed and maimed innocent voters in the February 2023 elections after you told them to grab it (political power), snatch it and run with it,” said Emir Sirdam.
His rivals challenged his win in court, to no avail.
Critic, Ifeanyi Akorjuru, said, “Tinubu condemning the attack on Trump could as well be classified as a Nigeria presidential prank.”
The skirmishes at the Trump rally have also dominated headlines in Zambia, whose ties with the US have been expanding.
Rival parties have condemned the Pennsylvania incident but both have been reminded how they have perpetrated violence against each other in their quest to retain power.
The ruling United Party for National Development (UNPD) and ex-governing Patriotic Front (PF) are both blamed and relations between the two are characterised by violence at election time.
President Haikande Hichilema said Zambia was saddened by the attempted assassination of Trump.
He said his government condemned this act.
“Extremism, anarchy, criminality, and lawlessness have no place in any society,” said Hichilema.
Hichilema assumed power in 2021 after an election that was marred by deadly violence between PF and UPND.
PF and the ruling party’s critics accuse the new government of stifling the rights of citizens and abusing the law to detain opposition members over trumped-up charges.
Edgar Lungu, who was the incumbent in the 2021 election and lost to Hichilema, also released a statement condemning the shooting at Trump.
Like the controversial American veteran, one-term president, Lungu (67), is plotting a comeback. He served from 2015. Polls in Zambia are set for 2026.
“I want to join other world leaders to vehemently oppose and categorically condemn this wicked gesture of retrogressive and unacceptable politics and violence that could lead to death,” Lungu said of the American incident.
During his tenure, Lungu was accused of running the country with an iron fist. Hichilema was detained for close to five months on a treason charge after the election of Lungu.
Lungu’s party was accused of perpetrating violence against the opposition in the last election but his PF eventually lost.
Analyst Joe Njekwa reminded Lungu of the president’s alleged violations during his heyday at State House.
“You must be the last one to condemn that act (against Trump) because that’s what you believed in when you were the president of this country,” the Zambian analyst said.
– CAJ News