This paper “Political Leadership: Bane of African Development” discussed the importance of good governance and its impact on the socio-economic and political development of African countries and conversely its underdevelopment und consequent stagnation. The study employed the use of quantitative method of collecting secondary data. The system analysis approach was also adopted as the theoretical framework. It is a global system, but it is also used to analyze the place of regions and single states within it. The study showed that, political leadership in Africa with few exceptions based on empirical observation and documented evidences since the hard won political independence from colonial Europe has become one of Africa’s source of problem confronting the states and their resources became the primary purpose of political contestation and the establishment of a political culture based on ethnicity, regionalism and authoritarian pattern of governance The solution is, for African leaders to learn and imbibe the leadership qualities of late Nelson Mandela, Nyerere and Kwame Nkrumah, who carried their citizens along and were devoid of ethnicity, regionalism and personal aggrandizement. They sacrificed their lives for their countrymen and fought against imperialism and are counted as patriots.