Former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo has said that he endorses Azimio leader Raila Odinga to take over from Moussa Faki Mahamat as the next chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC).
Obasanjo urged the East African Community (EAC) countries to rally behind Odinga’s candidacy, expressing confidence in his leadership abilities.
“I have no doubt that my friend who is standing next to me (Odinga) is the right person to take over the mantle. If the EAC region backs him, I believe the rest of the continent will support him,” he said on Thursday, February 15.
Embracing Obasanjo’s support, Raila Odinga said at a press conference that he is ready to contest for the “chairpersonship” of the AUC.
“Should the leadership of Africa want my services, I am ready and offer myself to be of service to this continent. I’m ready, yes, to go for the chairmanship of the African Union,” he said.
He expressed his dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs across African nations, saying that he will change the current condition of African youth, often compelled to seek opportunities abroad due to challenging conditions at home.
If elected as the next office holder, he will radically reverse that trend and propel Africa towards becoming an economic powerhouse. He will also leverage his experience and network to effect meaningful change.
“As a Pan-Africanist, I strongly believe that Africa deserves better. We need to marshal all our resources for the faster socio-economic growth of our continent,” he said.
His tenure as the AU special envoy for infrastructure development in Africa makes him the best candidate as he has good understanding of the socio-economic landscape of the continent.
“That position gave me a good advantage to learn about each and every African country, and I believe that working collaboratively, we can emancipate Africa,” he said.
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