Here are 5 shortest serving Presidents in Africa

• Captain Honoré Traoré of Burkina Faso holds the record as Africa’s shortest-serving head of state, leading for just one day during the 2014 political uprising.

• Justice Raphael Nii Amaa Ollennu remains Ghana’s shortest-serving president, holding office for 24 days during the transition to the Second Republic.

• Most of Africa’s shortest-serving presidents assumed power during political transitions, coups, or constitutional handovers, making their brief tenures historically significant.

Across Africa’s political history, several leaders have held the highest office for only days or weeks, usually during coups, constitutional transitions, or interim arrangements. Their brief tenures often came at moments of national crisis or political reset.

Here are five of the shortest-serving presidents in Africa and how they came into, and left power.

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Captain Honoré Traoré briefly became one of the shortest-serving heads of state in Africa during Burkina Faso’s 2014 uprising that ended the long rule of Blaise Compaoré.At the height of mass protests against Compaoré’s attempt to extend his 27-year rule, the military stepped in as the government collapsed.

Traoré, then Chief of the Armed Forces, announced that he had assumed responsibility for the state on October 31, 2014.However, his leadership lasted barely a day. Within 24 hours, regional and domestic political pressure pushed for a civilian transition, and he stepped aside on November 1, 2014, paving the way for a transitional arrangement led by other political and military actors.

Burkina Faso eventually transitioned to a civilian-led interim government, marking the end of Compaoré’s era.

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Justice Christopher Okoro Cole, then Chief Justice of Sierra Leone, briefly became President during the country’s transition to republican status in 1971.Following constitutional changes that abolished the monarchy as head of state, Sierra Leone moved from a Governor-General system under the Commonwealth to a republic.

On April 19, 1971, Cole was appointed interim President as part of the transition process. His role was largely ceremonial and temporary, designed to bridge the gap between constitutional systems.

Just 2 days later, on April 21, 1971, he handed over power to Siaka Stevens, who became the country’s first executive President after previously serving as Prime Minister.Cole returned to his judicial duties, remaining a respected figure in Sierra Leone’s legal history.

READ ALSO: Did you know? Ghana had a president for just 24 days, the shortest term in Ghana's history

In Ghana, Justice Raphael Nii Amaa Ollennu holds the record as the country’s shortest-serving head of state. A respected jurist and Speaker of Parliament, Ollennu became Acting President during the transition from military rule to the Second Republic. This followed the end of the National Liberation Council (NLC) military government led by Lieutenant General Akwasi Afrifa.

He assumed office on August 7, 1970, under arrangements that made the presidency largely ceremonial.Ollennu served in a caretaker capacity for just under a month before handing over power on August 31, 1970, to Edward Akufo-Addo, who had been elected through an electoral college.His short tenure symbolised Ghana’s effort to restore civilian constitutional rule after years of military governance.

Ernest Shonekan became Nigeria’s interim leader during one of the country’s most turbulent political periods. On August 26, 1993, military ruler General Ibrahim Babangida handed power to Shonekan, a respected businessman and technocrat, to head the Interim National Government after the annulment of the June 12 presidential election. Shonekan’s administration struggled with legitimacy and mounting political unrest.

His government had limited control over the military, which still held real power behind the scenes according to reports.After just 82 days in office, his government was overthrown on November 17, 1993, by General Sani Abacha, who dissolved the interim administration and took over as military head of state.Shonekan is remembered as a transitional figure caught between military authority and democratic aspirations.

Professor Yusuf Kironde Lule became President of Uganda after the fall of Idi Amin in 1979, a period marked by regional war and political instability.Following Amin’s overthrow by Tanzanian forces and Ugandan exiles, Lule was installed as head of state on April 13, 1979, under the Uganda National Liberation Front.

His government operated under difficult conditions, with competing political factions and external influence shaping the transition.Lule’s leadership lasted only 68 days. On June 20, 1979, he was removed by the National Consultative Commission due to internal disagreements over governance and authority.