Abstract
This paper examines democracy as a major and popular form of government which is finding ground across the African continent. The study also examines the degree to which political power is concentrated in the hands of elites while the ordinary citizens are relegated to voting alone when elections are due shortly after which they are soon forgotten in the governance of state affairs. Conducted with the use of secondary sources of data collection, the work examines some of the reasons responsible for the concentration of political power in the hands of few and the exclusion of the majority from the governance of state affairs. The article also explores some alternative solution to this type of political exclusion and concentration of power in the hands of the elites in sub-Saharan Africa since the end of colonialism in many countries in this region of the continent. Key words: Elites, Sub-Saharan Africa, democracy, government, elections, colonialism.
Highlights
The point at which slavery ends, freedom is expected to begin
The fact that occupation of elective positions is determined by the highest number of votes scored in election makes democracy a form of government consolidated on majoritarian principle
The majoritarian principle promoted by liberal democracy imported into Africa from abroad may be to larger extent alien and unfamiliar to the particular generation which witnessed the transfer of political power from colonial to indigenous rule
Summary
The point at which slavery ends, freedom is expected to begin. At the expiration of alien rule in countries across sub-Saharan Africa, the class which captured political power is itself a colonially manufactured segment within the society. The act of circulating power among persons of the same social strata and class is an exclusive principle because it keeps away the majority from the governance of state and political power. Inclusive politics implies a system where majority without segregation are in as much as they fulfill the required conditions are allowed to participate in voting After which they through their representatives can participate in governance of the affairs of the same state to which they are members. Whoever is chosen by the majority in a democratic state to occupy state leadership position automatically becomes leader This selection is best done through voting in an open, free and fair election. Elite’s persistent consolidation of tight grip on state power and exclusion of some kinds of political tensions which if care is not taken may later on triggered social revolution in sub-Saharan states of Africa the way it has happened in the North African Arabian states of Tunisia and Egypt
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