SENEGAL has, once again, asserted itself as one of the bastions of democracy in Africa with the defeat of Mr Abdoulaye Wade in the runoff poll, which saw his former protege, Macky Sall, emerging President. It was a woeful end for Wade’s megalomaniacal schemes to impose himself on his country for a third term in contravention of a law he himself championed in 2001.

Fresh on the seat and still flush with the heroic achievement of defeating Mr Abdul Diouf, who ruled West Africa’s only unbroken democracy for 20years, Wade vowed that never again would one person sit on the presidential seat longer than two terms of office. However, as his second term neared its end he fell for the temptation to stay a little longer. He nominated all members of the Constitutional Court who later ruled that the new rule did not apply to Wade. This was just one of the manipulations of state structures and institutions, aimed at getting him a third term after which his son, Karim, would step into his shoes thus setting up a Wade dynasty that would turn West Africa’s democracy pride into Gabon and Togo-type family estate.

But the people of Senegal said an emphatic “no” to this. They rallied behind Mr Sall, who came from behind in the first ballot where he scored 26% to Wade’s 35%, to force Wade to concede defeat even before the close of counting. By conceding defeat, Wade redeemed some of his battered pride and bowed to a noble legacy which his country has come to be known. After all, it was his successor, Abdulaye Diouf’s concession of defeat to him in 2000 that allowed democracy an unfettered reign in Senegal.

It would have been a big shame if Wade had succeeded in imposing himself on Senegal. Perhaps he was lured to extend his time by the fact that Senegal’s founding President, Leopold Senghor was in power for 20 years and so was his successor, Diouf. Credit goes to the Senegalese electorate who were not willing to sit and watch the rape of their democracy. The defeat of Wade’s tenure elongation bid is another warning to other leaders on the continent who might be eyeing such.

There is a lot, we in Nigeria stand to learn from the events in Senegal. Yes, we have successfully stood against the ambitions of past leaders to stay longer than constitutionally required. We have largely kept budding dictators from illegally staying in office against our wishes. Where we have problem is stopping presidents in power from being re-elected against our wishes. The weakness of our democracy resides in the fact that we are unable to vote out undesirable presidents and to some extent, governors. We are powerless before the power of incumbency.

Besides, no presidential election has ever gone into a second ballot, and it’s doubtful that we can vote out a president through a runoff. The electorate of Senegal has shown, repeatedly, how it is done.

We call on the Federal Government of Nigeria to do everything in its power to assist Macky Sall to assume office peacefully, run the affairs of his country in line with the promises he made on the campaign trail and contribute his quota to the economic, political and cultural advancement of the subregion, especially in these days of creeping and spreading campaigns of terror.