Jean Ping says he's a target of Gabon regime

Libreville (AFP) - Former African Union commission chief Jean Ping, a candidate for Gabon president in this year's election, said Friday the regime of incumbent Ali Bongo Ondimba was trying force him out of the race through "Machiavellian" judicial means.

"For some time now, I have became the target to absolutely beat down," the opposition figure told a press conference in Libreville.

He accused the authorities of seeking to "exploit" the judicial system in an attempt to have him declared ineligible to run for election.

To do this, he said, Ondimba's team "with Machiavellian skill" were seeking to attribute inflammatory remarks to opponents.

Last week a government spokesman threatened Ping with legal action over statements in which the former AU chief was said to have likened the regime to "cockroaches", accusing him of seeking to provoke civil war.

A video from March disseminated on social media showed Ping calling on his supporters to battle "to the death" and talking about a war "to get rid of the cockroaches".

On Friday Ping dismissed the video as a montage and said he had instructed his lawyers to take action against the "unscrupulous people who will stop at nothing and will do anything to stay in power."

The presidential election, expected in August or October, will pit incumbent Bongo, seeking a second term, against Ping and several other well-known figures including parliamentary leader Guy Nzouba Ndama and former prime minister Raymond Ndong Sima.