Metro

Gabon: Military officers announce taking over power in apparent coup

Published

9 months ago

August 30, 2023

A group of senior military officers in Gabon have announced taking over power minutes after the Gabonese Election Centre announced President Ali Bongo as the winner of Saturday’s election for a third term.

The electoral body had announced that Bongo had secured 64.27% of the vote while his main challenger, Albert Ondo Ossa scored 30.77%.

The officers, who made the announcement on Wednesday morning on national television, Gabon 24, faulted the credibility of the election and said they represented all security and defence forces in the Central African nation.

An officer who read the joint statement, was surrounded by around a dozen others who stood behind him in military fatigues and berets.

“In the name of the Gabonese people, we have decided to defend the peace by putting an end to the current regime,” the officer said.

“We are therefore forced to admit that the organisation of the general elections of 26 August 2023 did not meet the conditions for a transparent, credible and inclusive ballot so much hoped for by the people of Gabon.

“Added to this is irresponsible and unpredictable governance, resulting in a continuing deterioration in social cohesion, with the risk of leading the country into chaos.

“Today, 30 August 2023, we — the defence and security forces, gathered as the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions (CTRI) on behalf of the people of Gabon and as guarantors of the institutions’ protection — have decided to defend peace by putting an end to the current regime.”

“To this end, the general elections of 26 August 2023 and the truncated results are cancelled. The borders are closed until further notice.”

“All the institutions of the Republic are dissolved: the government, the Senate, the National Assembly, the Constitutional Court, the Economic, Social and Environmental Council and the Gabonese Elections Centre.

“We call for calm and serenity from the public, the communities of sister countries settled in Gabon, and the Gabonese diaspora.

“We reaffirm our commitment to respecting Gabon’s commitments to the national and international community. People of Gabon, we are finally on the road to happiness.

“May God and the spirits of our ancestors bless Gabon. Honour and loyalty to our homeland.”

Bongo was the candidate for the Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG), founded by his father, Omar Bongo, who ruled Gabon from 1967 to 2009. After the death of his father, the incumbent president who was then the Minister of Defence, took his place as president and has been in power ever since.

The opposition had strongly condemned the election, calling it a “fraud orchestrated by Ali Bongo and his supporters” after the internet was cut and a curfew imposed.

Related Topics:#COUP Election Featured Gabon President Ali Bongo

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Metro

Nigeria targets 10,000MW hydropower through sustainable power project

Published

1 hour ago

May 16, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, says the federal government is targeting10,000 megawatts through its Sustainable Power and Irrigation Project for Nigeria (SPIN) in collaboration with the World Bank.

Adelabu who disclosed this at during the African High-Level Roundtable on Sustainable Hydropower in the African Renewable Energy Mix of the 21st Century, held in Abuja on Wednesday, said the “primary objective of the project is to enhance the utilisation of existing storage facilities for both irrigation and hydropower generation.”

He added that the project aims to strengthen institutional frameworks related to integrated water resources management within Nigeria.

“SPIN aims to unlock additional 10GW combined capacity from existing dams with provision for hydro but not fitted, partially incomplete dams with provisions for hydropower, Greenfield projects and existing multipurpose dams that can be modified/redesigned and retrofitted,” Adelabu said.

The Minister who acknowled the immense potential for hydropower development in Africa, said it is important to also consider responsible development.

“We must address environmental concerns around dam construction and ecosystem disruption, alongside social impacts on local communities. This requires a commitment to sustainability, stakeholder engagement, and innovative solutions to financing these large-scale projects.”

The Minister also stated that for several decades, hydropower has played a significant role in Nigeria’s energy supply, contributing approximately 20 per cent to the nation’s total grid supply as of now.

Adelabu emphasised Nigeria’s wealth of water resources across its various basins while the country’s hydropower capacity is estimated at 14 GW, only around 15 per cent of this potential has been harnessed.

“The country has over 340 dams spread across different geo-political zones, under the management of the three government tiers and many are not optimally utilized or at risk of damage.

“For the small hydropower, a multitude of river systems, providing about 70 micro dams, 126 mini dams, and 86 small sites, supply a technically exploitable capacity of 3.5GW, but only 1.7per cent (0.06GW) of these resources are currently being tapped, while there are about 10GW of potential untapped capacities from the large and medium-sized hydropower,” he added.

Metro

Zambian opposition New Heritage Party accuses govt of dictatorship

Published

18 hours ago

May 15, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

One of Zambian opposition parties, the New Heritage Party (NHP), has accused the government of dictatorship after the police insisted on a written list of speakers for the party’s upcomng rally in Lusaka’s Mandevu area.

NHP’s President, Chishala Kateka, who made the allegations in a statement on Tuesday, said the National Police also requested a registration certificate from the party before considering their request for approval to hold the rally, an action she said was dictatorial.

The NHP leader said the party had, in a letter to the police, it had expressed its intention to hold a mass rally in Mandevu on June 1, and also submitted their registration certificate to the police.

Kateka however, described the police response to the party’s request as a colonial-era policing of rallies before Zambia’s independence.

“Raphael Musamba’s police command has now demanded the New Heritage Party to provide them with an official list of speakers for the Mandevu rally on June 1, 2024,” Kateka stated in the statement.

Kateka said the NHP would indeed provide the list of its speakers at the rally but expressed concerns that the intention behind these demands might be to prevent any United Kwacha Alliance (UKA) presidents from speaking at the Mandevu rally.

“We are aware that President Hakainde Hichilema and his police are apprehensive about UKA and are striving to divide the alliance using State institutions and operatives, including registering a fake UKA,” she further alleged.

Kateka also argued that the law does not require a political party to produce both a registration certificate and a written list of speakers to hold a mass rally.

“This is simply dictatorship on display. Unfortunately, President Hichilema and his lieutenants within the police force are willing to breach the law of the land to serve their agenda,” she stated.

Kateka also expressed her concerns that the police’s actions appeared to be an attempt to dictate the proceedings of political party associations.

“Today, it’s the New Heritage Party, UKA alliance, and the Church facing persecution. Tomorrow, it could be NGOs and Civil Society Organizations,” she warned.