Two of our neighbours are headed to the polls today; Chad & Benin.

The seeming lack of interest by our media is traceable to language issues & the dire finances of the media, but these makes it no less unsettling.

Both elections are fraught with dangers for regional security.

Let’s just highlight few incidents in the two campaigns that led up to this weekend’s finale.

In Chad, strongman Idriss Deby is running for a 6th five year term, under the banner of the Patriotic Salvation Movement. He came to power in 1990 after rebelling against Hissene Habre.

Habre himself was iron fisted.

He’s currently serving life jail in Senegal for mass murder committed while in office.

He was recently granted temporary freedom for 60 days because of his age in relation to Covid fears. He’s in his late 70s.

The Chadian campaigns have been very violent so far.

At the end of February, the front running opposition candidate, Saleh Kebzabo, the runner-up in the 2016 election, pulled out from the race following a deadly shoot-out at the home of another candidate, Yahya Dillo.

The attack resulted in the death of Dillo’s mother, his 11 year old son & 3 other relatives.

Dillo himself is a controversial figure with control of a militia.

The attack on his house was an attempt to enforce a summons in a civil case by Deby, against him.

He has since gone underground.

Eleven other candidates have also withdrawn or disqualified.

In the past, ethnic divisions have weakened Chad's opposition. This time it’s trying a different approach.

More than 12 parties announced that they are supporting a joint candidate, 55-year-old newcomer Theophile Bongoro, to avoid splitting anti-Deby votes.

Others don’t agree.

Another opposition figure, Dr. Succès Masra, a 38-year old firebrand & former ADB staff, whose candidature was disapproved because he was below the stipulated age of 45, is campaigning for a total opposition boycott.

A perfect atmosphere has thus been created for a predictable win for Idriss Deby later today.

The last one week has witnessed a major crackdown and put paid to any hope of a fair or credible election.

Deby knew what he was saying when he said: “Of course we are going to win. I know in advance that I will win, as I have done for the last 30 years.”

Benin Republic:

In the last 2 weeks, it’s been like the people of Benin had suddenly woken up to the reality facing them.

Opposition strongholds erupted in protests last Monday night & Tuesday morning, denouncing President Patrice Talon’s decision to stand for re-election.

They also insist that his term ended on April 6, rejecting a 2019 constitutional amendment that extended the mandate by a month until May.

When the ‘king of cotton,’ business man, Patrice Talon was campaigning in 2016, he promised that he would serve only one term in office. He pledged that one term was enough for him to deliver “miraculous change” in poverty reduction.

He also wanted a reduction in the powers of the executive and constitutionally restricting presidents to single terms of five years, to combat “complacency.”

Instead of focusing on these & other economic reforms, however Talon began focusing on entrenching himself in power.

He started making it difficult for political opponents to thrive. He introduced exorbitant candidates’ registration fees for those standing legislative election.

The net effect of all these is the drastic shrinking of the once robust and vibrant Beninoise democratic space.

Within four years of his administration, many of Benin's main opposition figures had all fled into exile!

One of the instruments used to intimidate is the special economic crimes and terrorism court.

Ironically one of the judges on the court fled the country two weeks ago, claiming pressure from the government to summarily deal with opponents.

The last few months has witnessed a lot of violence.

A presidential candidate Ganiou Soglo was wounded after shots were fired at his car soon after indicating interest in contesting the election.

Ganiou himself is a former minister & son of a former President, Nicephore Soglo.

These are some of what’s been going on with our immediate neighbours in the lead up to their elections.

The results of the two elections will hardly be credible and the regimes will be dogged by legitimacy issues.

The next few days will confirm, as results start to trickle in.

Sources: Al Jazeera, Africa News, Africa Intelligence, from which the videos were also obtained.