By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Gabon is set to hold its presidential election on Saturday, the first since 2023 when the prolonged rule of the Bongo family was truncated in a military coup.
The family had ruled the West African state for 56 years and counting when officers led by Brice Oligui Nguema took power in August 2023.
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 the 12 April presidential election. He has since been cleared by a constitutional court to run.
Nguema is tipped to win, owing to the incumbency advantage, as well as his popularity as the leading figure who ended Ali Bongo’s unpopular rule of over five decades.
He has, however, been criticised for his interference in other arms of government, in which the senate, national assembly, and constitutional court are stacked with loyalists, political analysts say.
He has talked of a Gabon that “rises from the ashes” and describes himself as someone who will “build this nation.”
That resonates with many in Gabon, a population of about 2.5 million, where for decades a small political elite surrounding the Bongo family lived in luxury from revenue made from the country’s oil wealth.
In 2023, when Ali Bongo secured a fresh victory as president, Nguema led officers to take over power, stopping a fresh term that would have extended the family’s grip on power.
Nguema’s main challenger is Bongo’s former prime minister, Alain Claude Bilie By Nze, who has created his own movement, Together for Gabon, in an effort to distance himself from the Bongo regime.
Like Ali Bongo, Nguema has promised to diversify the economy and promote agriculture, industry, and tourism.
According to the World Bank, the country’s economy grew by 2.9% in 2024, up from 2.4% in 2023, driven in part by infrastructure projects implemented by the transitional government and increased production of commodities such as oil, manganese, and timber.
