By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Gabon’s coup leader, Brice Oligui Nguema, who is on the ballot for Saturday’s presidential election, voted at a school in the city of Libreville, where he said the queue outside was evidence that “Gabonese have regained confidence in the election”, adding that it was “transparent”.
Nguema, who led a coup to oust the democratically elected government in August 2023, is looking to cement his grip on power as the oil-producing Central African nation seeks to end the transitional government headed by him.
He had overthrown President Ali Bongo, whose family ruled Gabon for more than half a century, pitching himself as a change agent cracking down on the corrupt old guard.
In Libreville, turnout appeared higher than during the 2023 election that preceded the coup, when Bongo was declared winner of a third term in a process the opposition said was fraudulent.
Lionel Ekambou, a nurse, woke up early Saturday to vote for Nguema, who has been interim leader since spearheading the coup as an army general.
“His social project meets my expectations and, I am convinced, will contribute to building a better future,” the 28-year-old said.
However, not everyone believes Nguema, 50, a former aide-de-camp to Ali Bongo’s father, Omar Bongo, who served as president for more than 40 years until his death in 2009, represents a genuine break with the past.
Nguema’s main challenger is Alain Claude Bilie By Nze. He was serving as prime minister under Ali Bongo before the August 2023 coup, the eighth in West and Central Africa since 2020.
Nze, 57, voted Saturday in his hometown of Makokou. In a video sent to the media by his campaign, he expressed concern that unused voter cards left at polling stations could be used to stuff ballot boxes.
Nze has tried to distance himself from the Bongo family while challenging Nguema’s fitness for the presidency, telling Reuters this week that military men should “go back to their barracks”.
Nguema had earlier promised to hand power back to civilians but went ahead to declare himself head of the transitional government.
Things, however, took a new twist when he announced his candidacy last month for election and was cleared by a constitutional court to run.
