André Mba Obame facts for kids
André Mba Obame (born June 15, 1957 – died April 12, 2015) was a politician from Gabon. He worked as an adviser to President Omar Bongo in the 1980s. He also served as a minister in Gabon's government from 1990 to 1991 and again from 1997 to 2009. During his time, he was seen as someone who wanted to make changes within the ruling Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG).
He held an important job as Minister of the Interior from 2006 to 2009. After that, he briefly worked as Minister of Government Action in mid-2009. He ran as an independent candidate in the presidential election on August 30, 2009. Official results showed he came in third with 25.33% of the votes. However, he claimed he had won and said that the PDG candidate, Ali Bongo, won unfairly.
Contents
Political Journey
André Mba Obame was born in Medouneu, a town in northern Gabon. He started his career helping President Omar Bongo with African and international matters from 1984 to 1986. Later, he advised the president on development and investments.
In April 1990, he became a government minister, in charge of Agriculture and Rural Economy. In November 1990, he moved to the role of Minister of Human Rights. In the early 1990s, Mba Obame was seen as someone who wanted to reform the PDG party. A new law in 1991 said ministers had to be at least 35 years old. This meant he had to leave the government for a short time. From 1991 to 1994, he was a Deputy Secretary-General for the President. Then, from 1994 to 1997, he worked under the Minister of the Interior.
Returning to Government
In the parliamentary election in December 1996, Mba Obame won a seat in the National Assembly. He was a candidate for the PDG party in Woleu-Ntem Province. On January 28, 1997, he returned to the government. He became the Minister of Relations with Parliament and also the Government Spokesman.
After President Bongo won re-election in December 1998, Mba Obame praised the election. He said the people of Gabon showed maturity, which made their political system more trustworthy.
On January 25, 1999, Mba Obame became the Minister of National Education. He continued to be the Government Spokesman. In the parliamentary election in December 2001, he was re-elected to the National Assembly. After that election, on January 27, 2002, he became the Minister of National Solidarity and Social Affairs. On January 21, 2006, he was promoted to Minister of State for the Interior, Security, and Immigration.
In the parliamentary election in December 2006, he was elected to the National Assembly again. He represented Medouneu Commune for the PDG. His job title changed on December 28, 2007. He was appointed Minister of the Interior, in charge of local communities, security, and immigration.
As Interior Minister, Mba Obame faced some criticism. This happened after reports that he suggested selling Mbiané. This is a small island near Equatorial Guinea that might have oil.
After President Bongo passed away on June 8, 2009, Mba Obame stated that the process to choose a new president was following the country's laws. On June 19, 2009, he was moved to a new role as Minister of the Coordination and Follow-up of Government Action. Jean-François Ndongou took over his old job at the Interior Ministry.
2009 Presidential Election Campaign
The PDG party chose Ali-Ben Bongo as their presidential candidate. Soon after, on July 17, 2009, Mba Obame announced in Barcelona that he would also run for president. He said he was ready to be president after working closely with the late President Omar Bongo for 25 years. Because he decided to run against his party's chosen candidate, he was removed from the government on July 22, 2009.
On August 12, 2009, Mba Obame spoke to business leaders. He promised that if he was elected, he would bring order to the government. He also said he would help businesses and protect them from unfair competition and too much paperwork. He also tried to calm fears about possible violence after the election. He said that all candidates wanted to keep peace and unity in Gabon.
A few days before the election, some opposition candidates met. They held a secret vote to choose one person to support. On August 28, André Mba Obame was chosen. A statement was sent to the press saying that 11 candidates were dropping out to support him. However, some of those candidates, like Casimir Oyé-Mba and Jules-Aristide Bourdes-Ogouliguende, quickly said they were still running. After some confusion, five candidates publicly supported Mba Obame and withdrew their own campaigns. These included Paul Mba Abessole and Jean Eyeghé Ndong. Mba Obame called them a "dream team" and said he could not lose with their support.
However, when the official election results were announced on October 13, 2009, Ali Bongo Ondimba won with 41.79% of the votes. Pierre Mamboundou came second with 25.64%, and André Mba Obame was third with 25.33%.
On December 30, 2009, a new, united opposition party was planned. Mba Obame was one of the leaders involved. On February 6, 2010, Mba Obame joined the Gabonese Union for Democracy and Development (UGDD) party. This party then joined with two others to create a new unified opposition party called the National Union. When the party launched on February 10, 2010, Mba Obame was named its Executive Secretary.
On January 25, 2011, Mba Obame declared himself president. He referred to the situation in Côte d'Ivoire, where Alassane Ouattara was recognized as the winner of the 2010 election. Mba Obame took shelter in a United Nations office in Libreville and also appointed his own government. In response, President Bongo declared Mba Obame's National Union party dissolved.
Later Life and Passing
After several years of illness, André Mba Obame passed away in Yaoundé, Cameroon, on April 12, 2015. The Gabonese government planned to fly his body to Oyem in the north on April 29, 2015. However, they could not do so because many of his supporters gathered at the airport.
See Also
