F or several days, the situation in Port-Gentil has been going in circles, sowing confusion and anger among citizens and members of the presidential party, the UDB (Union des Bâtisseurs). The municipal election won by the UDB seemed logically set to conclude with the installation of Pascal Houangni Ambourouet as Mayor. However, the planned ceremony was canceled in extremis by the Ministry of the Interior, without any official explanation.

This cancellation follows an unexpected contestation from Jean-Philippe Douckaga, himself a member of the municipal council, who, a week after voting by a show of hands in the election, challenged the conformity of the vote. This belated behavior is perplexing. The contestation arrived at a time when the results were no longer favorable to him, casting doubt on the sincerity of his motivations. In the eyes of many observers, it appears to be a political maneuver rather than a legal one.

The thorny question today is: why restart a vote that has already been validated? After confirming the hitherto clear position of the UDB, which, through an official letter signed by Secretary General Mays Mouissi, reinvested the same candidates whose election was annulled by Gabonese justice, this decision is clearly causing incomprehension and frustration among certain activists, who are struggling to grasp the purpose of this reaffirmation.

In Port-Gentil neighborhoods, particularly within the Ngwèmyènè community, the murmurs are amplifying. There is talk of pressures exerted in the shadows, apparatus strategies, and a possible desire to impose a different result from the one expressed by the ballot box. The Dibandze affair remains in memory as a precedent where similar tensions had undermined the credibility of local political actors.

Faced with these twists and turns, the population is demanding transparency and clarity. Citizens and activists require precise answers: Who is pulling the strings? What interests are truly hidden behind this administrative and partisan incompetence? The vote on Friday must imperatively dispel these doubts, or risk permanently tarnishing confidence in the institutions and the ruling party.

Ultimately, the current crisis in Port-Gentil illustrates a deep fracture between the ambitions of certain political leaders and the expectations of a community that wants to see local democracy respected in its most elementary expression: a clear, fair, and definitive vote. The people are watching, vigilantly. This time, they will not be fooled by pretenses.