Governing parties and leaders changing constitutions at will — or exempting themselves from adhering to them — is one of the main reasons why development has failed, public services have collapsed and instability has been the norm in most postcolonial African countries. 

Constitutions that aren’t sacred — changed when they do not suit the rulers — as is the case in almost all African countries, foster a lack of rule of law, lack of accountability and lack of shared norms of acceptable societal behaviour...