There are also a few genuine members of the opposition that have declared their candidacies for the 2025 presidential election in Cameroon, but who are very likely not to be given investitures by their parties, though there are no other candidates in those parties. These opposition figures include Prof Jean Bahebeck of the UPC and Hilaire Dzipan of ‘Mouvement Progressistes’ (MP).
As for UPC for example, what qualifies the party to be among those that can give investiture to a candidate for the 2025 presidential election, is one senatorial seat. That senator was appointed by President Biya. It is not surprising that Hon Robert Bapooh Lipot who leads the CPDM faction of UPC that has the senator, has repeatedly said that they support the candidature of President Biya at the 2025 presidential election. There is no way thus that Bapooh Lipot, Board Chair of a State company, can give investiture to a genuine opposition member of the UPC, in the person of Prof Jean Bahebeck. In fact UPC will definitely have no candidate at the 2025 presidential election, as Bapooh Lipot and his faction will be supporting Biya. Even if the 92 years old Paul Biya is not candidate, Bapooh Lipot and his UPC faction will likely support any CPDM candidate, with the hope to either maintain his post of Board Chair of a State corporation, or even have a bigger appointment.
The Case Of Hilaire Dzipan Of MP
There is also the case of Hilaire Dzipan of ‘Mouvement Progressistes’, which for many years had as President, Hon Jean Jacques Ekindi. Hilaire Dzipan, has been in MP since the creation of the party in 1991, and was a very close collaborator of Jean Jacques Ekindi, until the Ekindi shocked him and others by going back to the CPDM in 2020. It was just normal that the Dzipan was elected National Coordinator of MP, after Ekindi left the party for CPDM. But along the line some CPDM elite were not happy with Ekindi, that he left the party he created, in the hands of a stanch opposition member (Hialaire Dzipan). Then Ekindi who had announced that he left MP for CPDM, appeared one day, held a small meeting in one backyard, and designated one unknown and naïve looking lady, as the new National Coordinator of MP. He said the lady was voted by acclamation.
Suffice to say Dzipan questioned how a CPDM militant (Ekindi) can designate the leader of MP, or can organize election in MP as Ekindi claim to have done. Dzipan dragged Ekindi insist he is the Founding President of ‘Mouvement Progressistes’, to court, over the leadership of the party. The matter is still pending in court, and may be still in court as by the time of the presidential elections. In such a situation, it will block Dzipan from being able to run as the presidential candidate of MP, which has two councilors in the Douala 1 Municipal Council, and thus is one of the 18 political parties authorized to give investiture to a candidate for the 2025 presidential election.
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