Voters in the oil-rich Gabon headed to polling stations on Saturday in a presidential election that the country’s military rulers hoped would legitimize their grip on power.

Gabon's coup leader Brice Oligui Nguema is looking to cement his grip on power as the oil-producing Central African nation holds a presidential election on Saturday that analysts expect to be a one-sided affair.

Go "back to the barracks," was the jibe from the man seen as Oligui Nguema's closest rival in the vote, Bilie-by-Nze. He considers himself the change the country needs, but his closeness to the ousted regime still attracts criticism from some.