Many African leaders would not be prepared to give up their national sovereignty to join the proposed single-state federation proposed by the Libyan leader, Col. Muammar Gaddafi. The idea that was revoked in modern times by Kwame Nkrumah has since become the number one agenda of the Libyan leader who has vowed to succeed with the notion, believing it is the best for Africa, even though some expert on the African Union call the idea of a United States of Africa a ludicrous ideology.
In the just concluded African summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Col. Gaddafi who is the newly elected chairman of the African Union assured fellow summit leaders that his unity project would be approved at the next meeting in July unless there was a majority against it. The Libyan Leader knows however that African leaders are not near to a settlement on the issue.
The AU usually relies on consensus in reaching decisions, but reports have claimed that Col Gaddafi introduced the Islamic concept which holds that silence is an approval. However, the new African Union chairman has no singular decision-making power, and cannot push through any changes without the consensus of the other leaders but under this newly introduced islamic principle, at least two-thirds of the African Union leaders would have to actively oppose him, rather than just keep quiet over his ideas and initiatives.
In his inauguration, in Addis Ababa, Gaddafi wore a golden brocade robe and cap, and sat with the traditional African leaders who last August named him the “king of kings” of Africa. The traditional kings accompanied him at the front of the room, where he sat. Reports claim that he circulated a letter saying he was coming as the king of the traditional kings of Africa, prior to his arrival at the summit. He also refused to sit in the seat for the Libyan delegate.
Some African leaders believe that he is too erratic to be AU chairman. He was however elected by the heads of state of the 53-member union behind closed doors at a summit in Ethiopia. And even though delegates were uneasy about Gaddafi’s nomination to replaces the Tanzanian President, Jakaya Kikwete, he was seen to be the obvious choice.
