By Taiwo Erioluwa
Ousted Gabonese President Ali Bongo yesterday appealed for help after the army put him under house arrest after a military coup.
The acclaimed polyglot Spoke in English from where he said was his residence, told his supporters: “raise your voice”.
Bongo’s removal from power ends his family’s 55-year hold on power in Gabon.
In a video message, Bongo confirmed he was under house arrest.
”My son is somewhere; my wife is in another place… Nothing is happening. I don’t know what is going on,” before again asking for help.
A communications company that was working for the presidency during the election has been in contact with the BBC to confirm the authenticity of the footage. It said it had been asked by Bongo’s office to circulate the video.
Earlier in the day, army officers appeared on a state television station to say they had taken power.
They said they were annulling the results of Saturday’s election in which Bongo was declared the winner but the opposition said was fraudulent.
The officers also said they had arrested one of Bongo’s sons for treason.
The coup in Gabon is the second in Africa in recent time, following the coup by presidential guard in Republic of Niger on July 26 by a junta.
Speaking to the French newspaper Le Monde, Gen. Brice Oligui Nguema, leader of Gabon’s elite Republican Guard – the unit in charge of the president’s security – has been named as the country’s transition leader, said the president would “enjoy all his rights” after the military announced it has placed him under house arrest.
“He is a Gabonese head of state. He is retired. He enjoys all his rights. He is a normal Gabonese, like everyone else,” Gen. Nguema said.
He did not confirm whether he will declare himself the new president of the West African country.
“I do not declare myself yet. I do not envisage anything for the moment,” he said.
“This is a debate that we are going to have with all the generals. We will meet at 2pm (13:00 GMT). It will be about reaching a consensus.
Everyone will put forward ideas, and the best ones will be chosen as well as the name of the person who will lead the transition,” he added.
