2025 Presidential Election: Focus On How The Far North Region In Particular, And Grand North In General, Decides The Results Of Presidential Election (Part 1)

 The Biya Biya Regime And Far North CPDM Elite Are Panicking Over Recent Developments And Allegations Concerning The Far North Region And The 2025 Presidential Election.

President Biya Has Since The 2004 Presidential Election, Been Depending On The Far North Region In Particular, And The Grand North In General, For Victories In Presidential Elections

It is definitely not for nothing that key members of the Biya regime have been making frequent trips to the Far North Region in recent months with some visiting the region as personal representatives of the President of the Republic.  Hardly a month passes these days without some members of Government like Paul Atanga Nji of the Ministry of Territorial Administration, Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi of the Ministry of Public Works, Dr Manaouoda Malachie (son –of – soil), Minister of Public Health, Celestin Keutcha Courtes alias “Il Avait Quoi Avant?” of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, and others, making official visits to the Far Nar North Region.

A few months ago, the Minister of State, Secretary General at the Presidency, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, visited the Far North Region as the personal representative of the Head of State, and was even blocked from returning to Yaounde on that same d0ay, by disgruntled mayors.  He was forced to spend the night. In a normal situation, the all –powerful Ngoh Ngoh or the local administration would not have tolerated that.  But Ngoh Ngoh definitely took into consideration the stakes for the regime in the Far North Region in this election year, and bowed to the demand of the local municipal authorities. A few weeks ago, it was the Prime Minister, Chief Dr Joseph Dion Ngute, who travelled to the Far North Region as the personal representative of the President of the Republic, for the inauguration of a bridge linking Cameroon and Chad, and also to visit some road projects.

Reconstruction Of Far North Region

Besides that, we have in the last couple of months seen for the first time intensification of work in the execution of the Special Programme for the Reconstruction and Development of the Far North Region commonly by the French acronym, PSRDREN, which is being overseen by the Minister of Economy, Planning and Regional Development, Alamine Ousmane Mey..  It should be noted that PSRDREN was created by the President of the Republic, Paul Biya, to reconstruct and develop the Far North Region, devastated by the terrorist group Boko Haram, in neighbouring Nigeria. Since 2014, the terrorist group has been making incursions or carrying out attacks in Cameroon, precisely in parts of the Far North Region close to the border with Nigeria. The hoodlums have been killing and kidnapping people, and carrying out acts of arsons and looting. These have come to further worsen the situation of the undeveloped Far North Region.

It should however be noted that the mobilization of the Cameroon military and multinational forces to  combat the terrorist group, Boko Haram, has greatly reduced the group’s raids in  the Far North Region, thus opening  the way to the implementation of the Special Programme for  the Reconstruction and Development of the Far North Region.

CPDM Elites Of The Far North

As regard the ruling CPDM, its elite of the Far North, have in the last couple of months been running all over the region, organizing meetings and manipulating the people to declare the unconditional support of the Far North Region, to the candidacy of President Biya at the 2025 presidential election.  A few weeks ago ,it was Cavaye Yeguie Djibril, the octogenarian President of the National Assembly, who is as well the Far North Regional Coordinator of the CPDM, that in a personal initiative coordinated by his Director of Cabinet, organized the so called march of 100,000 youths of the Far North Region I Maroua, in support of the candidacy of the 93 year old President Biya, for the 2025 presidential election.

Why The CPDM Or Biya Regime Is Panicking

 Some people, perhaps hastily,  see the beginning of the reawakening era in the Far North Region, as some sons and daughter of the region or the Grand North, have started raising their voices and criticizing the CPDM or Biya regime over the Far North Region’s underdevelopment, as well as the persistent misery of the impoverished masses. The Biya or CPDM regime has in the last couple of months been panicking, especially with the presidential election around the corner. This is considering the fact that in the last two decades, President Biya has been depending the most on votes of the Far North Region, which is the most populated region in the country, to win presidential elections. The panic is thus due to the fact that the presumed beginning of the awakening the people of the Far North Region, is coming at a time when the next presidential election in the country, is around the corner.

Some civil society organizations as well as an increasing number of sons and daughters of the Far North Region, or Grand North, like the political activist, Abdouraman Hamadou Baba, and the leader of the “10 Million Nordists” movement, Guinbai Gatama, which is out to fight for the interests of the Grand North, have been trying to sensitize their people to turn their backs against the Biya regime, for the long neglect of the Far North Region. They have been calling on their people to sanction the CPDM party and government at the 2025 presidential election. They say enough is enough.

Presidential Election Around The Corner

This has sparked much panic in the regime especially with the presidential election around the corner, for if the Far North turns its back on the CPDM Party at the election, it will have disastrous consequences on the party and its candidate, considering that President Biya has for long been depending the most on the region, which is the most populated in the country, for votes or victories at presidential elections. This is the reason why, as aforementioned, quite a number of members of Government, including special representatives of President Biya, have in the last couple of months been flowing to the Far North Region. CPDM officials and elite of the Far North Region have on their part, been organizing meetings here and there in the region, in a bid to convince the people not to listen those they describe as detractors of President Biya, and prophets of doom.

It should be noted that despite the fact that the highly populated Far North Region has been contributing enormously to the victories of President Biya at presidential elections, the region has over the years remain one of  the most, if not the most, undeveloped regions in the country. Campaign promises repeatedly made by President Biya and his regime before elections, are in most cases never implemented.  The Far North is the region with the highest illiteracy rate in the country, and remains the only region in the country where children in some areas still study under trees due to lack of classrooms or infrastructures. The rate of youth unemployment, poverty and misery remains very high in the region.

The One Big Mistake That President Biya Has Been Repeatedly Making  

One of the main reasons why President Biya and his CPDM Party and Government finds themselves in this difficult situation in the Far North Region today, is because President Biya has over the years repeatedly made the mistake of thinking that appointing sons and daughters of a region into government and other top posts, is equal to bringing development to that region. But the reality is that In Cameroon, when somebody, is appointed into Government, it is the family and friends that benefit. For several years now, quite a number of sons and daughters of the Far North Region have always been appointed into Government, and to other high posts in the country. But the region has remained highly underdeveloped.

The President of the National Assembly, Cavaye Yeguie Djibril, who is the third personality in the country, and who has occupied that post for decades, is from the Far North. The Far North had a Vice Prime Minister in the person of Ahmadou Ali (now of blessed memory). A son of the Far North, Ibrahim Talba Malla, is among the few Cameroonians that have occupied the post of General Manager of the national oil refinery (SONARA). Today he is Minister of Public Contracts. The current Minister of Economy, Planning and Regional Development, Alamine Ousmane Mey, is from Far North Region.  So also is the Minister of Public Health, Dr Manouada Malachie, and the Minister Delegate in the Ministry of Finance, Yaoba Abdoulaye.

 A Daughter Of Far North, Held The Post Minister Of Basic Education For 10 Years

Talking about the appointments of sons and daughters of the Far North Region, how can one explain the fact that a daughter of the region, Mme Youssouf nee Adidja Alim, was Minister of Basic Education from June 30, 2009 to January 4, 2019, that is 10 years, and there are still cases of pupils studying under trees because of the lack of classrooms. Also, the illiteracy rate in the region remains the highest in the country.

Even the President of the National Assembly, Cavaye Yeguie Djibril, openly criticized the former minister at a crisis meeting of elite of the Far North Region, which held in Maroua a few years ago. Cavaye questioned how  Government could be blamed for the situation of high illiteracy rate in the Far North Region, as well as the lack of classrooms and benches in quite a number of public primary schools, when a daughter of the region was Minister of Basic Education for as many as 10 years.

Will Far North Region Vote For The Opposition At 2025 Presidential Election?

There is increasingly hope in  the Southern part of  the country, that the people of the Far North Region, will vote for  the opposition at the 2025 presidential election, expected to hold in the month of October. But the situation is rather complicated. The problem is that with the high illiteracy rate, as well as the high rate of poverty and misery in the Far North Region, the people are easily manipulated by CPDM elite, using money or promise of money.  We saw the heavy turnout of youths in particular, from all parts of the region, following the promise that they would be given money.