BITS AND PIECES ON THE OCTOBER 12, 2025 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN CAMEROON (Tuesday, October 7, 2025)
Joe Dinga Pefok (Uncle Joe)
1) ISSA TCHIROMA’S Revelation In B’da That He Is In Contact With Secessionist Leaders, Sparks New Controversy. 2) Barrister CHRISTOPHER NSAHLAI Has In Memorandum Declared That ISSA TCHIROMA IS “LEGALLY INELIGIBLE” To Run For Office Of President Of Cameroon, Following The Declaration He Made In Bamenda. 3) Several Officials Of KAMTO’S MRC Are Running Tchiroma’s Campaign In The Southern Part Of The Country. 4) Is Paul Biya Visiting Maroua As The CPDM Presidential Candidate Or As Head Of State? 5) 7 Out Of 11 Communication (Propaganda) Officers Of Tchiroma’s campaign Are From MRC. 6) MRC Leadership Divided Over Heavy Involvement Of Some Officials And militants Of The Party In The Campaign Of The Candidate Of Another Party. 7) CPDM Campaign Manager For Wouri Division (Douala), Says A 40 % Score At Election Will Be A Win For Them. 8) Officials And Militants Of KAMTO’S MRC Prohibited From Using Party’s Name, Structure , Resources, Gadgets, To Campaign For Any Presidential Candidate, And Have Been Warned That Those Who Violate The Order, Will Face Sanctions. 9) BELLO BOUBA To End Campaign With Mega Rally In Garoua on Friday, October 10.
Issa Tchiroma’s Revelation In Bamenda That He Is In Contact With Secessionist Leaders, Sparks New Controversy
One of the main reasons for the journey to Bamenda on Saturday, October 4, 2025 by the FSNC leader and candidate for the October 12, 2025 presidential election, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, former member of government, was to apologize to the Anglophone people for some controversial statements he made in relation to the Anglophone Crisis, at the time he was Minister of Communication and Government Spokesperson. But while tendering his apology to the people during the visit to Bamenda, Issa Tchiroma sparked or created another controversy in a revelation he made. He alleged that he is in contact with secessionists, and even named one of the secessionist leaders based in the United States, as his friend, and said they are in regular contract. “I am in contact with secessionists. Do you know Christ Anu? He is my best friend”. Tchiroma even alleged that before coming to Bamenda, he called Chris Anu, and said he should take care of him. This was understood to mean that Tchiroma asked the separatist leader, to tell his men (separatist fighters) in Bamenda not to attack him or disrupt his campaign. It should be noted that the armed separatist groups are against the October 12 presidential election, taking place in the two Anglophone regions (Northwest and Southwest Regions), and thus against campaigns for the election as well.
As to why Tchiroma made the declaration, from the looks of things, he probably thought that such a disclosure would convince the population that he stands a better chance than the other presidential candidates, to resolve the escalated Anglophone Crisis, because he is in contact with the armed separatist groups, and that some of the leaders are even his friends. One of the issues that Tchiroma’s declaration or revelation has raised, is, the allegation that when he was a member of the Biya regime, he was in contact with secessionists that the regime has branded as ‘terrorists’.
Barrister Emmanuel Nsahlai Declares That Issa Tchiroma Is “Legally Ineligible” To Run For Office Of President Of Cameroon
US based Barrister Emmanuel Nsahlai of the NSAHLAI LAW FIRM (United States), has in a memorandum declared that the FSNC leader and presidential candidate, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, former member of government, is “legally Ineligible” to run for the office of President of the Republic of Cameroon, and thus his candidacy for the October 12, 2025 presidential election should be rejected or invalidated by the Constitutional Council. This follows the controversial revelation that Issa Tchiroma , who is a candidate for the October 12, 2025 presidential election, made during a visit to Bamenda on Saturday, October 5, 2025 for campaign. Worthy of note that no – nonsense Man of Law, Barrister Emmanuel Nsahlai, is the legal counsel of civilian victims of atrocities committed by separatist fighters, in the ongoing armed conflict between government troops and armed separatist groups in the two Anglophone Regions (Northwest and Southwest Regions) of Cameroon.
As stated in the piece above, Issa Tchiroma sparked a big controversy when he declared while addressing a crowd in Bamenda, that he is in contact with secessionists, and that one of the separatist leaders based in the United States, Chris Anu, is his best friend. He disclosed that he even called the separatist leaders become travelling to Bamenda, to ask for protection. Coming especially from somebody like Issa Tchiroma, who was only a member of Government for many years, during which he was for some years the Minister of Communication and Government’s Spokesperson, the declaration in Bamenda sent shockwaves through many homes, especially families that have suffered from atrocities committed by separatist fighters also known as Amba boys.
Not surprisingly, Barrister Emmanuel Nsahlai, legal adviser or lawyer of civilian victims of atrocities committed by separatist groups, quickly went to work, and has come out with a Legal Memorandum to submit to the Constitutional Council and the elections managing body, Elections Cameroon (ELECAM), to demand that Issa Tchiroma be dropped from the list of candidates to participate in the October 12 presidential election. In a release today (Tuesday, October 7, 2025) in Yaounde, Barrister Nsahlai informed the public about the memorandum, which, will be attached to a petition that has to be filed,at the Constitutional Council in Yaounde. In the release, Barrister Emmanuel Nsahlai said due to Issa Tchiroma’s link with “terrorist leaders” and terrorist groups”,Tchiroma for example cannot take the oath of office to defend the Constitution. He said due to Issa Tchiroma’s link to terrorists”, and “terrorist groups”, he is a threat to national security, and that the State of Cameroon cannot thus be entrusted to somebody like Tchiroma. Barrister Emmanuel Nsahlai noted that Issa even boasted that he depends on secessionists for protection.
Several Officials And Militants, Of Kamto’s MRC, Are Running Issa Tchiroma’s Campaign In The Southern Part Of The Country
On Friday, September 26, 2025, which was barely a day before the official start of campaign for the October 12, 2025 presidential election, the real National President of MRC, Prof Maurice Kamto, who was being anxiously awaited to formally give directive to militants or supporters as to which presidential candidate they should vote for, declared in an address that he had decided not to endorse any of the two candidates in the Grand North. That is, UNDP leader and presidential candidate, Bello Bouba Maigari, and the leader and presidential candidate of FSNC, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who are both former members of government, like Kamto himself.
Kamto explained that the reason for his decision was the fact that the two presidential candidates, unfortunately failed to reach an understanding for one of them to withdraw his candidature from the election, in favour of the other. Kamto thus told MRC militants, or better still his supporters, that he had thus decided to leave it to each them to individually decide on who, to vote for, at the October 12 presidential election. Just that seemingly unknown to Maurice Kamto, the camp of Issa Tchiroma had by then already contacted behind the scene, quite a number of officials of the MRC party, and struck deals for them to support Tchiroma’s candidacy. They had also agreed to talked in favour of Tchiroma, in their in – house discussions, as to who MRC should support. It should be noted that the decision not to give any directive to his supporters on who to vote for, came as a surprise to many MRC militants, because before them the social media was flooded with stories apparently coming from inside MRC, claiming that Kamto was going to endorse Tchiroma. That was apparently a spinning operation from within MRC, to try to influence Kamto, as well as to manipulate militants towards Tchiroma. The situation would have thus become very complicated for many in the MRC, if Kamto had for example endorsed Bello Bouba, after some people had struck deals with the Tchiroma camp.
Kamto refused to endorse either Bello or Tchiroma since they failed to reach an agreement for one of them to withdraw, and called on each militant of MRC, to vote for any candidate of his choice according to his conscience. Some of the MRC officials and communication officers that had already struck a deal with the Tchiroma camp, immediately started work, openly. Tchiroma ‘s campaign in the Southern part of the country is being run by officials and militants of MRC. They were in fact responsible for the heavy mobilization of the population, a majority of who were MRC militants, during Tchiroma’s campaign visits to some towns in the Southern part of the country like Bafoussan, Yaounde and Douala, where MRC has large followings.
7 Out Of 11 Communication (Propaganda) Officers) Of Tchiroma’s Campaign Team That Are Not Militants of FSNC, Are From Kamto’s MRC
An official list of 11 communication officers, or better still, 11 propaganda officers in the national campaign team of Issa Tchiroma Bakary, FSNC candidate for the October 12, 2025 presidential election, who are not militants of FSNC, shows that as many as 7 of them are from Maurice Kamto’s MRC. Tchiroma’s party calls them, “Communicants Volontaires’, that is, Voluntary Communicators. The list of the 11 “Voluntary Communication officers” established by FSNC, is as follows: 1) Me Emmanuel Sihm. 2) Prof Aba’a Oyono. 3) Valere Nyeck 4) Charles Njikam. 5) Joseph Taffo 6) Willy Mengue 7) Dr Okalia Ebode 8) Jean –Marie Emong Bakeni 9) Jopel Elombo Sonne 10) Dillan Nkwain 11) Aloys Parfait Mbvoum. The list also contains the contact numbers of the 11 individuals.
Worthy of note however, that the first name on the list, Me (Barrister) Emmanuel Sihm, is the 3rd Vice National President of MRC, while the second on the list, Prof Aba’a Oyono, is Special Adviser to the real MRC leader, Prof Maurice Kamto. Other names on the list like Charles Njikam, Dr Okala Ebode and Willy Mengue, are all well- known MRC communication officers. The list is indicative of how involved several officials and militants of MRC are, in the running of Issa Tchiroma’s campaign, even though MRC is not in any alliance with Tchiroma and his party.
Is Paul Biya Visiting Maroua As CPDM Presidential Candidate, Or As President Of The Republic?
The SDO of Diamare, Ekoa Mbarga Jean –Marc (former DO of Douala 1), in a communiqué issued on Monday, October 6, 2025, called on the population of the Maroua in particular and that of the Diamare Division in general, to turnout massively today (Tuesday, October 7, 2025) to welcome “the Head of State, HE Paul Biya, during his official visit to Maroua”, with the main meeting with the population scheduled to hold at the Lamidou Yaya Dahirou Municipal Stadium. The SDO in the communiqué also called on the traditional rulers of Salak, Galde, Katoual, Yonkole, Makbaye , and Meskine, which are villages or localities along the highway from the Maroua Airport to Maroua town, to mobilize their population to line the raodside to welcome the Head of State . The SDO as well called on the Maroua City Mayor, the DO of Maroua 1, the Mayor of Maraua 1 Municipality, to all ensure that that all goes well in their different tasks.
The communiqué issued by the SDO of Diamare, Ekoa Mbarga Jean –Marc, immediately raised questions, as to whether Biya was to visit Maroua as President of the Republic, or as the CPDM presidential candidate. Throughout, the understanding of the public had been that the outgoing President of the Republic, Paul Biya, who is an incumbent in the October 12, 2025 presidential election, was to visit the Far North Region, precisely the regional headquarters, Maroua, to campaign for his re-election, as he did during the official campaign period of the last presidential election which held in 2018. Paul Biya is the CPDM leader and candidate for the October 12 presidential election, and so the visit to Maroua is supposed to be more of a CPDM affair. Well, as Head of State at the same time, special security measures are supposed to be put in place for the visit. But normally it is the local officials of the CPDM Party and allies, that are supposed to mobilize their militants to turn out to welcome their presidential candidate, and not the SDO calling on the population that includes the militants of opposition parties like Bello Bouba’s UNDP, Issa Tchiroma’s FSNC, Cabral Libii’s PCRN, Joshua Osih’s SDF and so on, to turn out to welcome Paul Biya on a campaign trip to Maroua.
Well, the SDO of Diamare in his communiqué gave the impression that the visit to Maroua of the 92 year old Paul Biya who has been in power for close to 43 years, was an official visit. Thus he was coming to Maroua to campaign for his re-election for another 7 year mandate. It should be noted that Paul Biya who as aforementioned visited Maroua during the last presidential election campaign in 2018 to seek for votes, throughout his seven year mandate which is coming to end, never visited the region. This is another election period.
Meanwhile, President Biya arrived, Maroua, at about 1.20 pm on Tuesday, October 7, 2025. Schools and businesses were shut down by the local authorities in Maroua, for students and the population to come out to welcome President Biya. As convoy of President Biya and wife, Chantal Biya, was heading to Maroua town some 20 kms away from the airport, the local population and students were seen lining the roadside, in accordance to the instruction that the SDO gave in his communiqué. Yet the question remains as to whether President Biya is in Maroua for election campaign, as the CPDM candidate for the October 12 presidential election, or he is in Maroua as President of the Republic. State owned CRTV, has on its part, not been very clear. At times the journalists talk of President of Republic Biya, a times it is Candidate Paul Biya, a times it is President – Candidate Paul Biya. One thing is clear – It is admissible that schools and businesses be ordered by authorities to closed, for students and the local population to go and line the streets to welcome a presidential candidate, or be transported to the Lamido Yaya Dahirou Municipal Stadium for the campaign rally.. All the speeches that were made at the Lamido Yaya Dahirou Municipal Stadium this afternoon during he visit of Paul Biya, were clearly CPDM campaign speeches in support of his candidacy for the October 12, 2025 presidential election.
Meanwhile, preparation is also intensifying in Monatele, Lekie Division of the Centre Region, where President Biya is being expected on Friday, October 10, 2025. However, there has so far been NO official confirmation of the visit to Monatele on Friday.
MRC Leadership Divided Over Heavy Involvement, Of Party’s Officials And Militants, In The Presidential Election Campaign Of The Candidate Of Another Party
The MRC leadership is divided over the heavy and open involvement of quite a number of the party’s officials and militants in running the campaign of another party’s presidential candidate. The Interim National President of MRC, Mamadou Mota, who hails from the Far North Region, has in a message congratulated the party’s militants that are engaged in the campaign of other candidates (precisely Issa Tchiroma), and has encouraged them to even double their efforts. The camp of Mamadou Mota and Barrister Emanuel Sihm (3rd Vice President) is said to mounting pressure on the real leader of MRC, Prof Maurice Kamto, to endorse the candidacy of Issa Tchiroma Bakary. But for now, at least, Kamto is resisting. Perhaps he will change his mind at the last minute.
The issue has reportedly become a big embarrassment to Prof Maurice Kamto, and part of the MRC leadership like the Secretary General, Chief Barrister Ndong Christopher Nveh, and the veteran politician, Albert Dzongang, who is Special Adviser to Kamto. It would be recalled that what Prof Kamto told MRC militants or his supporters on September 26, 2025, was that each individual should freely make a choice, as to the presidential candidate he or she would like to cast his or her vote for, at the October 12, 2025 poll. He did not say that MRC militants, especially officials of the party, should get involve in organizing campaign rallies or making propaganda campaigns for the candidate of any party, because MRC has not gotten into any coalition or alliance with any presidential candidate and his party. But Prof Maurice Kamto’s Special Adviser, Prof Aba’a Oyono, for example, openly joined the Issa Tchiroma’s campaign even before Kamto declared on September 26 that he had decided not to give any directive to supporters, as regard the candidate to vote for. Prof Abaa’a Oyono accompanied Issa Tchiroma to Bafousam for the campaign rally that took place on Wednesday, September 25. That was two days before Kamto told supporters that he would not give them any directive on who to vote for. Aba’a Oyono also accompanied Issa Tchiroma Bakary to the Grand North, for the official campaign launch in Yagoua on Tuesday, September 30, and was even one of the speakers at the rally. It should be noted that Kamto appointed Aba’a Oyono as Special Adviser, less than three months ago.
Prof Maurice Kamto posted an article in the social media about a week ago, in which he said that he has in his life being a victim of several betrayals. He did not however give any example, or explain why he decided to write the article at this period. But many people assumed, either rightly or wrongly, that one of things that got him to write the article or to raise the issue of betrayals, is connected to the way some of his collaborators have behaved, in jumping onto Issa Tchiroma’s campaign wagon for financial interest, whereas the MRC has not entered into any alliance with any candidate and his party, for the presidential election. How embarrassing it has been for Maurice Kamto, for example to see one of the Vice National Presidents of MRC in the person of Barrister Emmanuel Sihm, or one of his Special Advisers in the person of Aba’a Oyono, become a “Voluntary Communicator”, or better still, a Propaganda Officer of a presidential candidate of another party. It should also be pointed out that one of the things that Kamto and some other party officials are worried about, is that if anything goes wrong with the Tchiroma campaign or in Tchiroma’s fight to become President of the country, the name of MRC will come in because of the involvement of some senior members of the party in Tchiroma’s campaign, even though the party is not in any alliance with Tchiroma and his party.
CPDM Campaign Manager For Wouri Division (Douala), Says A 40 % Score Will Be A Win For The CPDM
The song on the lips of CPDM Campaign Managers at different levels across the country, has in general being that their party’s leader and incumbent presidential candidate, Paul Biya, will have a 100 % score in their different localities, even though they know so well that is impossible. But the CPDM Campaign Manager for Wouri Division (Douala), Dr Roger Mbassa Ndine, Douala City Mayor, has been realistic in his declaration. Speaking at the end of the campaign launch in all the five sub –division of Douala, and the Manoka (Islands) Sub –division which is also known as Douala VI (Douala 6), the CPDM Campaign Manager said that a score of at least 40 % by the CPDM or its candidate in Wouri Division (Douala 1 – 6) will be a victory for the CPDM. It should be noted that like most economic capitals of different countries in Africa, Cameroon’s economic capital, Douala, is an opposition fief. Things have been made even more complicated for the ruling CPDM, in that a settler community, the Bamilekes, that mostly support the opposition MRC party of Maurice Kamto, have become the most populated tribe in Douala (Douala, 2, 3, 4 and 5, with the exception of Douala 1), making the indigenous Douala or Sawa people that mostly support the CPDM, a minority. Douala has since become the main fief of Kamto’s MRC in the country. At the 2018 presidential election, Maurice Kamto came first in the official results in Wouri Division (Douala 1 – 6), scoring 46.21 %, as against Paul Biya who came second with a score of 35.47 %. There is no doubt that CPDM militants in Douala were happy with the rejection of the candidacy of Maurice Kamto by the Constitutional Council, for the October 12 presidential election. They have since been thinking that Kamto’s absence can enable their candidate and outgoing President of the Republic, Paul Biya, to manage to have a victory in Douala where a number of other opposition candidates like PCRN’s Cabral Libi and SDF’s Joshua Osih, or even CDU’s Hermine Patricia Tomaino Ndam Njoya, also have large followings. But then the fact that most MRC militants in Douala have decided to support the candidacy of FSNC’s Issa Tchiroma Bakary, as was observed with the huge crowd that turned out in Douala on Sunday, October 5, 2025 for his campaign rally, was definitely not good news to the CPDM in Douala. It however remains to be seen whether Issa Tchiroma at the October 12, 2025 presidential election, will be able to do in Doulala, what Maurice Kamto did at the October 7, 2018 presidential election. In other words, will the MRC militants in Douala turnout on October 12 to cast their ballots for Tchiroma, as they did do Kamto at the October 7, 2018 presidential election? Let’s wait and see.
Officials And Militants Of Maurice Kamto’s MRC Party, Prohibited From Using Their Positions, And The Party’s Structures, Resources, Gadgets , To Campaign For Any Presidential Candidate
As aforementioned, part of the leadership of Kamto’s MRC is embarrassed that several of its officials and militants are involved in running the presidential election campaign of the FSNC presidential candidate, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, in the southern part of the country, when the party is not in alliance with FSNC. Worst still is the fact that some of the MRC officials have been illegally using the party’s machine and structures to mobilize support or to campaign for Issa Tchiroma. Some party officials and militants have also been using the party’s gadgets like mufflers, when they go to support a candidate at the presidential election, whereas they are there in their individual names and not as militants of MRC. What Prof Maurice Kamto said on September 26, was that each MRC militant, or each of his supporter, should at his individual level, decide on which candidate to vote for, at the October 12, presidential candidate. Kamto made it clear that they have to do so as individuals, and not as militants of MRC.
In the face of the embarrassing situation that is happening, the Secretary General of MRC, Chief Barrister Ndong Christopher Nveh, has addressed a two page circular to the party’s officials in charge of national organs of the party, the officials of basic organs of the party, and MRC militants at home and in the diaspora, in which he has reminded them of what Prof Maurice Kamto told them in his message on September 26, 2025. The Secretary General in a no –nonsense message to MRC officials and militants, is clear that neither the party nor any of its organs, is involved in the October 12, 2025 presidential election. “As a consequence, it is prohibited for any militant of MRC, in conformity with the Statutes: Internal Regulations: the Chart of Ethics- of deontology, discipline of MRC: 1) To exploit your status as militant of MRC, to use the name of MRC, to use the gadgets and flora of MRC, in all personal activities related to the October 12 2025 presidential election, until when the ban will be lifted”, an excerpt of the Secretary General’s circular in French. The excerpt in English is our approximate translation.
In the second point, the Secretary General strongly warns against the engagement or the use of an MRC structures, resource of the party, or whatever be it, by any official or militant, for his personal activity related to the October 12 presidential election. In the third point, the Secretary General of MRC, Barrister Ndong Christopher Nveh, makes it clear that any position taken, and act posed by an MRC militant in relation to his personal position on the October 12 presidential election, engages only him, and might also expose the person to appropriate sanctions by the party.
It should be noted that the Secretary General of MRC, in the circular does not directly or indirectly mention the name of any presidential candidate, or give the impression that the circular is directed against what has been happening between some MRC officials and militants, in their support to a particular presidential candidate (Issa Tchiroma Bakary).
Bello Bouba To End Campaign Rallies With A Mega Rally In Garoua On Friday, October 10.
The official campaign for the October 12, 2025 presidential election will end on Saturday, October 11, and almost all the presidential candidates are expected to hold their grand closing rallies on that day (Saturday, October 11). But the campaign programme of the UNDP leader and presidential candidate, Bello Bouba Maigari , former Prime Minister and Minister of State, is scheduled to end on Friday, October 10, with a mega rally in his native town, Garoua. This information is contained in the campaign programme that was signed by Bello Bouba’s National Campaign Coordinator, Pierre Flambeau Ngayap. It should be noted that according to the programme, Bello Bouba who started his official campaign in the Grand North with his arrival at the Garoua Airport from Yaounde on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, does not take part in campaign on all days. There are some days that are seemingly reserved for him and his campaign team to travel from one long distance area to another in the Grand North, considering also the bad state of the roads. As for Bello Bouba’s campaign programme for this last campaign week, after the mega rally in Maroua on Sunday, October 5, 2025, there was no rally yesterday (Monday, October 6, 2025), as he and his campaign team headed to Mora, for a rally today (Tuesday, October 7). After Mora, Bello Bouba and his team will travel to Mokolo still in the Far North Region, for a rally on Wednesday, October 8. Bello Bouba and his team will then have to travel the very long distance from Mokolo to Garoua in the North Region on Thursday, October 9, and so there will be no rally on that day. Bello Bouba’s grand closing campaign rally will then follow on Friday, October 10, in his native Garoua. However UNDP campaign teams at the regional and Divisional levels will continue with their campaigns, until the end of official campaigns.
