Dare Babalola
Former Kaduna Central senator, Shehu Sani, has expressed concern over the growing political tensions in Senegal, warning that any collapse of the country’s youth-driven political movement could negatively affect the aspirations of young people across Africa.
Sani made the remark in a post shared on X on Sunday while reflecting on the rise of Senegal’s new generation of political leaders and the challenges currently confronting the country’s leadership.
According to him, young people across the continent have long dreamed of taking over political leadership from the older generation in order to build societies shaped by their own ideals, energy and vision.
He described Senegal as a major symbol of that aspiration after the emergence of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, both widely celebrated as representatives of a new political order driven by youth participation and reformist ideals.
“Young people always dream of taking power from the older generation and building a nation of their dreams and ideas. In Senegal, the dream was realised when they united and overthrew the old order,” Sani wrote.
The former lawmaker noted that the alliance between Faye and Sonko inspired many young Africans who saw their victory as proof that entrenched political establishments could be challenged through popular mobilisation and collective action.
However, Sani expressed concern over reports of disagreements within Senegal’s leadership circle, claiming that tensions between the country’s top political figures were threatening the stability of the movement that brought them to power.
“The young Faye became President and Sonko became Prime Minister. Just two years in power, they are now fighting each other and Sonko is sacked,” he stated.
Sani warned that the failure of what he described as the “Senegalese Revolution” could weaken confidence in youth-led political movements across the continent, where many young citizens continue to demand reforms, accountability and generational change in governance.
According to him, Senegal’s political experiment has been viewed by many Africans as a model capable of inspiring similar democratic transitions in other countries struggling with economic hardship, unemployment and dissatisfaction with long-standing political elites.
He added that maintaining unity among emerging political leaders was essential to sustaining public trust and preserving the credibility of movements built around promises of transformation and inclusive governance.
