The President of Gabon, Ali Bongo Ondimba has declared that he would seek a third term as the oil-rich African nation’s head of state in the coming election.
He made this known while speaking to a crowd of supporters in a speech broadcast live on his Facebook page which was monitored by Africa Today News, New York.
He declared; ‘I officially announce today that I am a candidate’
The 64-year-old Bongo, took over from his father, Omar Bongo Ondimba, the country’s ruler for 41 years, in 2009.
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In 2016, the president received just 5,500 more votes than his opponent Jean Ping, who alleged that the election had been rigged.
In 2018, Bongo had a stroke and spent months rehabilitating, which led the opposition to doubt his suitability to lead the country.
The Bongo family has ruled the country for 55 years already and is branded a “dynastic power” by the opposition.
But the opposition has failed to agree on a single candidate for the presidential election, leaving some 15 candidates to announce their intentions to stand.
In April, the Gabonese parliament voted to amend the constitution and reduce the president’s term from seven to five years.
Sections of the opposition criticised the changes, in particular the end of two rounds of voting, as a means of ‘facilitating the re-election’ of Bongo.
In another report, the President of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu yesterday emerged as the new Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Africa Today News, New York reports that upon his emergence on Sunday in Guinea-Bissau, he said; ‘We will take democracy seriously, Democracy is very tough but it is the best form of government’.
Tinubu succeeds President Umaro Embalo of Guinea Bissau as ECOWAS chair.
Tinubu’s emergence was announced at the 63rd Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS.