RONALD NYAKWARA

What is a transitional council? Have you noticed how some political figures, especially those in the so-called opposition, have gone quiet since the June 25th poster began circulating? Their silence isn’t by accident. It's because they’ve sensed this might not be just another wave of protest that ends with negotiations and political appointments. What’s taking shape looks more serious. It feels like a real people's movement, one that isn't begging for inclusion but demanding a reset. And that realization has shaken those who have always positioned themselves as backup options whenever the system collapses under its own weight. This time, what people are speaking about is not a cabinet reshuffle or early elections. It's a complete transition, and at the center of that idea is something called a transitional council. This isn't new, and it isn't fantasy. Across the world, in moments of national crisis or after the collapse of corrupt regimes, transitional councils have stepped in as temporary governing bodies. Their purpose is not to stay in power but to stabilize the country, hold those responsible accountable, and prepare the ground for a future system that actually represents the people. A transitional council has the moral and legal ability to do things that existing governments often can’t or won’t. It can suspend ongoing corrupt programs. It can audit and cancel odious debts, loans taken on without public approval, often used to enrich a few at the expense of the many. It can halt mega-projects designed to siphon public money, freeze stolen assets, and investigate those who profited from suffering. It can also begin the process of truth, justice, and healing by giving space for victims’ families, whistleblowers, and civil society to speak without fear. The strength of a transitional council lies in who sits on it. It must be made up of people with public trust. That includes voices from civil society, professionals with expertise in law, finance, and governance, young leaders who have been at the center of change, and neutral individuals who are respected across different communities. These people are not there to campaign or consolidate power. They are there to clean up, stabilize, and hand back control to the people through transparent systems. Just as important as who should be there is who must stay out. Anyone who has been deeply tied to the broken political system, anyone who has benefitted from its corruption, anyone who has actively silenced protests or ignored public pain, cannot be part of this process. Transitional justice is not just about fixing institutions. It’s about ensuring those who harmed the country are not the ones trusted to fix it. The growing silence from some political corners reflects a deeper fear. The fear that power is no longer being negotiated in backrooms but reimagined in the streets. That for the first time in a long time, the people are not asking to be led, they are choosing to lead. This shift does not come with loud slogans. It comes with clarity, planning, and focus. And those who made a career from sitting quietly while others suffered are realizing they have no place in what is being built next.