Célestin Djamen officially announced his candidacy for Cameroon’s upcoming presidential election in Douala on June 17, 2025. He will run under the banner of the Alliance Patriotique Républicaine (APAR), the party he leads. This declaration comes amidst a tense political climate, where the legal criteria for presidential candidate admissibility are generating debate, criticism, and conflicting interpretations.

Many are recalling Djamen’s earlier opposition to Maurice Kamto’s candidacy. Djamen had argued that Kamto’s Cameroon Renaissance Movement (MRC) lacked elected officials after boycotting the 2020 municipal and legislative elections. Now, attention has shifted to APAR, a party with no known electoral base, raising questions about whether it meets the legal requirements.

Djamen has not publicly clarified whether APAR has any municipal or regional councilors. However, on May 8, David Eboutou, a university lecturer and political activist known to be close to Djamen, posted on social media that two municipal councilors would soon join APAR. Eboutou wrote, “Good news for Célestin Djamen’s APAR party, which will welcome two municipal councilors in the coming weeks. The party will thus have a presidential candidate.”

A Stir of Controversy

Eboutou’s statement quickly sparked a wave of critical, often mocking, online commentary. Many users pointed to the apparent inconsistency in Djamen’s stance. “These are the same people who kept shouting ‘inadmissible’ at the MRC, and now they’re using the same strategy,” one user wrote. Another remarked sarcastically, “So, Mr. Djamen, you’re now invoking the same constitutional provisions you so loudly opposed when it came to the MRC?“

Some users directly addressed Eboutou, accusing him of double standards. “David, aren’t you ashamed? When it’s APAR, it’s good news. When it’s the MRC, Kamto is manipulating the law.”

In an effort to clarify the issue, Eboutou also shared an opinion piece by Djamen. In it, the APAR leader re-examines the interpretation of Article 121, paragraph 2 of the Electoral Code, frequently cited in the ongoing debate. According to Djamen, the law does not require the political party itself to “have elected officials.” Instead, it stipulates that a candidate must be endorsed by a party represented in the National Assembly, Senate, or an elected council, whether municipal or regional.

Based on this reading, Djamen argues that his party can legitimately field a candidate, provided it includes elected officials, regardless of their original affiliation, and follows proper endorsement procedures. He concluded with a touch of irony: “All that remains for APAR, which has yet to contest any election, is to exercise its right to nominate a candidate by simply recycling a few excluded officials from across the country.”

Although legally reasoned, this position has not silenced critics, particularly concerning political coherence. By seeking to exploit loopholes in Cameroon’s electoral framework, Djamen now appears to be adopting a strategy he once vehemently denounced. His reversal raises questions about the principles guiding political competition in a country heading into what promises to be a contentious presidential race.

Source: Business in Cameroon

Ahead of the October 2025 presidential election, prominent Cameroonian figures are calling on citizens to use the ballot box to reject long-time President Paul Biya.

A coalition of university lecturers, civil society members, and traditional leaders issued a public appeal urging Biya, in power since 1982, not to stand again — or to be voted out if he does. They argue that at 92 years old, Biya’s continued rule symbolizes a stagnant political system ill-suited to address urgent crises such as the Anglophone conflict, economic hardship, and endemic corruption.

These collective voices have sparked fresh debate: while some local mayors and traditional chiefs insist Biya embodies stability, others — including church leaders — describe his candidacy as “unrealistic” and warn it threatens democratic progress .

Human Rights Watch and other observers have also criticized the regime for cracking down on opposition and independent groups in the lead-up to the vote, citing arrests and restrictions on political activity .

With a sizable youth population — more than 65% under 30 — and rising disillusionment over repeated calls for change, the upcoming election is shaping up as a defining moment for Cameroon’s future — a choice between the entrenched old guard and a new path forward.

Source: Africa News

On June 10, 2025, Jean Nkuete, Secretary-General of the Central Committee (SG/CC) of the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM), released an 11-point statement addressing the increasingly polarized national political climate in the run-up to the presidential election. In the document, the Deputy Prime Minister directly targeted the opposition, specifically the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (CRM), accusing it of escalating public tension.

Jean Nkuete wrote, “We are observing that, as the presidential election approaches, some political parties, several of which are grappling with their own internal contradictions, are feeding the public with false debates that create confusion.” His message became clearer as he denounced “calls for the preparation of a sacrificial and deadly insurrection,” referencing a third country whose situation, he argued, is incomparable to Cameroon’s.

The Shadow of the Paris Rally

This criticism is a thinly veiled attack on CRM leader Maurice Kamto, who delivered a controversial speech at a Paris rally on May 31. Kamto declared, “If we fail in 2025, it will be Cameroonians’ own fault.” The former Minister Delegate for Justice elaborated, “If we miss the opportunity for the change Cameroonians have been yearning for over decades, it will be our own fault. Don’t wait for anyone! Look at Senegal, what you saw there came after young Senegalese fought throughout 2023 and 2024, and there were nearly fifty deaths. Yes… Don’t think people just lie down and change happens. Transformation takes struggle.”

For Jean Nkuete, these remarks indicate a deliberate strategy to use confrontation as a political tool. He called for the rejection of all forms of violence, writing, “Cameroon is a mature nation, whose fundamentally republican people bear the scars of violence from the independence war, the dark years, and, more recently, the atrocities in the Northwest and Southwest regions.” He concluded by stating, “Cameroonians, who more than anyone know the cost and value of peace, will not allow personal ambition to endanger lives or jeopardize the peace, stability, and coexistence they have so dearly secured.“

CRM’s Response

In response to the accusations, CRM condemned what it called an attempt to criminalize political expression. According to barrister Désiré Sikati, a party member and lawyer at the Cameroon Bar, Kamto’s comments have been intentionally misrepresented. He asked, “Is it not legitimate and common in a democracy to call for public protests against illegality?” In his view, the May 31 speech should not be equated with a call for insurrection, but rather a lawful civic mobilization. He added, “Can a call to protest be interpreted as a call to die in a democratic state?“

The lawyer then reversed the accusation, implicitly pointing to the government’s suppression of political protests. He concluded in a pointed tone, “Should live bullets be fired at peaceful demonstrators in a democratic country?“

Source: Business in Cameroon

President Paul Biya’s once-solid alliances in Cameroon’s Greater North region are fracturing as the 2025 presidential election draws near. Political heavyweights in the region are breaking ranks, threatening the longstanding pact that has delivered Biya massive electoral support.

Issa Tchiroma Bakary, Minister of Employment and Vocational Training and leader of the National Front for the Salvation of Cameroon (FSNC), fired the loudest warning shot. On June 13 in Garoua, his home turf, Tchiroma delivered a blistering speech against the regime he officially supports. He stood before a loyal crowd and spoke in the local language, blaming the government for the North’s misery—rampant unemployment, grinding poverty, and institutional neglect.

“How can people work when they apply for jobs, but never get hired, never get help, and nothing is done for them? We are in misery. Someone seeking happiness will tell you to vote to stay poor. Isn’t that a misfortune? It is a misfortune,” Tchiroma declared. He added, “If one day, I, Issa Tchiroma, ask you to vote for what brings you misery, then I am wicked.”

Tchiroma’s message went further. He called on Northerners to unite and break free from 42 years of hardship. “We haven’t solved your old problems. But if we unite now, we can solve them for good. The Lord has awakened us—it’s time to act. When the time comes, put in your envelope what will end our misery,” he urged, his words carefully coded but clear.

RDPC Reacts: Calls for Tchiroma’s Ouster

The ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (RDPC) erupted in outrage. Hervé Emmanuel Nkom, a senior party official, demanded Tchiroma’s immediate removal from government. “We must draw consequences from shifting positions. We can’t move forward with uncertain allies,” Nkom said on Bnews. “After this statement, the minimum is that Issa Tchiroma Bakary leaves the government,” he insisted, arguing no one can serve inside the system while attacking it from outside.

Political analyst Philippe Nsoa called Tchiroma “consistently inconsistent.” On Le Club, Nsoa noted, “For 16 years as minister, Tchiroma only praised Paul Biya. Now he makes a dramatic U-turn, but it’s not his first.”

Wider Political Realignment in the North

Tchiroma’s stance signals a deeper shift in the Grand North. The region’s near-automatic support for Biya is fading as new voices call for change. The National Union for Democracy and Progress (UNDP) will meet on June 28 in Yaoundé, with internal factions demanding a split from the RDPC. Bello Bouba Maïgari, UNDP’s leader, faces mounting dissent.

Abdouraman Babba Hamadou, a prominent Northern figure, recently called for a “national republican surge” ahead of 2025. In a widely shared op-ed, he wrote, “To reclaim our country in the next election, we must unite supporters of change from all backgrounds. Let the wind of change blow across Cameroon!”

Tchiroma and Babba Hamadou may not share a party, but both urge the Grand North to rally for change, challenging its reputation as a regime stronghold.

ANDP Remains Loyal to Biya

Not all Northern leaders are abandoning Biya. The National Alliance for Democracy and Progress (ANDP), another longtime RDPC ally, stands firm. Party president Hamadou Moustapha declared unwavering support for Biya on August 3, 2024, in Tokombéré. “We will go to the presidential elections. Now is the time to thank the president. In the next election, President Biya will be our candidate. We have supported him and will support him again and again,” Moustapha said.

Despite the RDPC’s deep roots in the North, the open dissent of figures like Tchiroma, internal UNDP rifts, and activism from leaders like Babba Hamadou and Guibai Gatama raise a critical question: Can Paul Biya still count on the Grand North to keep his grip on power?

Source: Business in Cameroon