2025 Presidential Election In Gabon: President Of Transitional Gov’t, General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, Shelves Earlier Promise, And Declares Candidacy

 It is also a violation of democratic principles for General Oligui Nguema, President of the transitional gov’t, to become candidate in the presidential election to return power to civilian rule

General Oligui Nguema, is however quite popular in in Gabon today, for all what he has done for the people and country, since taking over power on August 30, 2023

Opposition complains that as regard the presidential election, so much is being done in a rush, and wants the April 12 presidential election postponed 

The President of the Committee for Transition and Restoration of Institutions In Gabon, Brigadier General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, has declared his candidacy for the April 12, 2025 Presidential Election, which is principle is supposed to reinstate civilian rule in the neighboring country. He made the declaration at a grand rally in Libreville, Gabon, on Tuesday, March 4, 2025.

However this has been seen coming, even though General Oligui Nguema upon taking over power in 2023 had declared that, he would not run for President. He declared that after his transitional government would within two years clean up the mess in Gabon caused by decades by bad governance, there would be democratic elections to return the country to a civilian rule, and that he would not be a candidate. So the declaration of his candidacy is in violation of the promise that he made to the Gabonese people at the beginning.

General Oligui Nguema’s popularity in Gabon at this moment, not withstanding, it must be said that it a violation of democratic norms or principles, for the President of a transitional government, more so a soldier, to become a candidate in a presidential election meant to return power to a civilian rule. In 2024 we saw this in neighbouring Chad with General Mahamat Idris Derby Itno. In 2025, we are seeing it in another neighbouring country, Gabon, with General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema. Hmmmmmmm!

There Were Several Calls For General Oligue Nguema To Be Candidate

Meanwhile as aforementioned, The Mentor had seen the declaration of the candidacy of the President of the Transitional Government in Gabon, General Oligue Nguema, coming. In the last six months or so in Gabon, there were several calls by member so the public and groups, for General Oligui Nguema to be a candidate in the presidential election. For one thing, there is no question that General Oligue Nguema as head of the government of transition in Gabon, has done so much for the people and country in less than two years, in power, that many Gabonese sincerely like to see him continue as their President of the Republic. His simplicity has also attracted a lot of admiration in the population.

But one cannot also rule out the possibility that some of the calls were manipulated or even exaggerated as General Oligui Ngema’s critics claim. Late last year for example, a video appeared on the social media of three young male Gabonese, all dressed in white,  that embarked on a hunger strike for a couple of days, to mount pressure on General Oligui Nguema, to  “accept” to be candidate in the presidential election. It looked more like a drama.

Then just a couple of weeks ago, there was a modification in the new Constitution, stating that a Gabonese can leave the military and immediately get into politics. Many political observers saw that as opening the door for General Oligui Ngema, to become a candidate in the presidential election. It should be noted that in many countries, one can’t leave the military and immediately gets into politics. In Cameroon for example, any military officer who goes on retirement or leaves the military, and is interested in politics, has to wait for a minimum of three years (36 months), before getting into politics.

Opposition Still To React

It should be noted that the opposition in Gabon, especially the firebrand brand opposition leaders, have not yet reacted to the decision by the President of Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions in Gabon, General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, to declare his candidacy for the April 12, 2025 presidential election. It looks however certain that such news would not go down well with many opposition leaders, that had expected General Oligue Nguema and his government of transition, to organize democratic elections and hand back power to civilian rule, as he had promised. As aforementioned, General Oligui Nguema had at the beginning promised that he would not be a candidate in the presidential election to return the country to civilian rule.

Some politicians had already said that General Oligui Nguema was exaggerating his simplicity, and that it seemed he had a secret agenda to be a candidate in the presidential election meant to return the country to civilian rule.

Meanwhile, no major opposition leader in Gabon has so far declared his candidacy for the election. It should be noted that under the regime of Ali Bongo, Gabon with a population of 2 million people (Two million), had as many as 105 political parties. The transitional government of General Oligui Nguema, denounced the situation, and all political parties were ordered by a resolution of the National Dialogue that took place in Gabon last year, to reapply. This was a strategy to drastically cut down on the number of political parties. The situation now is however not yet clear.

Opposition Wants Postponement Of Presidential Election

Whatever the case, the opposition in Gabon has been complaining that everything is being done in the rush by “the military”, and has called for the postponement of the April 12, 2025 presidential election to a later date, in order to give time for a better preparation by all stake holders including political parties. With just a little over one month to the fixed date of the presidential election, it is uncertain whether the transitional government would accept the proposal for the postponement of the election, especially now that the President of the Transitional Government has declared his candidacy. It however remains to be seen whether the opposition will give up its demand for a postponement of the election, or will continue to press for that. What is certain is that it will not be good for  General Oligui Nguema and his transitional government in particular,  and Gabon in general, if the opposition in Gabon, or better still the major opposition parties, decide to boycott the election.

It should be noted that after taking over power in Gabon on August 30, 2023, the President of the Committee for Transition and Restoration of Institutions in Gabon, General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, promised the Gabonese people that power would be handed back to civilian rule after democratic elections in two years. There was a hint that the transition could even extent to three years. Last year, a new Constitution was drawn up for Gabon, and was endorsed by the Gabonese people in a referendum. General Oligui  Nguema as head of the transitional government, has carried out quite a lot of reforms in different sectors in Gabon. He has increased the salaries t of those that deserved a better salary like medical personnel and teachers, and slashed the huge salaries of General Manager of State companies and corporations. Many roads have and several other projects have been constructed or built in Gabon under the government of transition headed by General Oligui Nguema,  and many project are also under execution.

General Oligue Nguema Is Quite Popular In Gabon Today

There is doubt that General Oligui Nguema is quite popular in Gabon today.  But the opposition is questioning why the transitional government is in the rush with elections. The two year period which General Oligui Nguema promised to return the country civilian rule after a cleanup, runs till the end of August 2025.Then, there was even a hint of the possibility of an extension of the period of transition to three years. In most cases with transitional governments in Africa, people instead see an extension or an attempted extension of the period of transition, which often draw strong criticisms by political parties.  But in Gabon, it is the contrary. It is instead the transitional government that wants to shorten the period of transition, while political parties are opposed to that.

Some observers and analysts, think that the main reason why the transitional government in Gabon is in a rush to organize the presidential election, and end the transition as the opposition parties claim, is because General Oligui Nguema is a candidate in the presidential election, and is probably at the height of his popularity in Gabon. So he wants to take advantage of his popularity now, for the presidential election to hold. Nobody knows what will happen in the next six months or one year, were the presidential election to be postponed.