In Cameroon, There Are Four Categories Of Presidential Candidates That Run In The Name Of The Opposition

There are candidates who run without any intention to win the election

The question then is, why do they run in the first place?

A senior member of Cabral Libii’s PCRN, Vincent de Paul YEDE (councilor of Douala III), who on October 2, 2024 was on a panel discussion over Canal 2 international, in reaction to a concern that was raised by the moderator of the programme, said that not all candidates that actually go in for the presidential election in Cameroon in the name of the opposition, participate with the intention to win. To the PCRN official, there are candidates at the presidential election in Cameroon that participate with the intention or hope to win the election, while there are others that just want to participate in the presidential election.

 Four Categories Of Presidential Candidates Of The ‘Opposition ‘In Cameroon

From The Mentor’s  critical observation of past presidential elections in Cameroon, as well as from the close observation of how things are moving in the ‘opposition’ rank towards the upcoming presidential election (2025 presidential election) in the country,  there are a total of four categories of ‘opposition  candidates’ at a presidential election in Cameroon.  The four categories are as follows: 1) Presidential Candidates of the genuine opposition that run with the intention to win. 2) Presidential candidates that are really of the opposition, but whose real goal is just to participate in the election. 3) Presidential Candidates that are sponsored by the Biya regime with different missions or assignments. 4) Presidential candidates with some opposition blood in them, but that participate in the election knowing fully well that they cannot win, but do hope that their exposure might open doors for them to strike deals in a bit to make a breakthrough in life.

This is one of the main reasons why it is difficult or even impossible for all those assumed to be opposition candidates at the presidential election, to be able to form a block. In realty all the candidates passing around for opposition are  not all of the opposition. More so, as mentioned above, even those candidates that are really of the opposition, have different ambitions or objectives in participating in the presidential election. Some participate with their real objective being to win, while others just want to participate.

• Category 1: Presidential Candidates Of Genuine Opposition Parties That Participate with Intention To Win
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The first category is that of genuine opposition candidates, or better still candidates of genuine opposition parties. These parties are also the major opposition parties or opposition movements in the country. The candidates or flag bearers of these opposition parties, just like the opposition parties themselves, participate in the presidential election with the   objective to win. At the last presidential election which held in 2018, we had four candidates in this first category.  The four candidates were Prof Maurice Kamto of MRC, Hon Joshua Nambangi Osih of SDF, Dr Adamou Ndam Njoya of CDU and Cabral Libii Ngue, then of Operation 11 Million Movement. It should however be noted that the  participation of Hon Osih and his SDF Party were seriously  affected in the election by the Anglophone Crisis, and that Dr Adamou Ndam Njoya’s participation was seriously affected by his then deteriorating health situation. Ndam Njoya is now of blessed memory.

Candidates of some  genuine opposition parties that have already declared their candidatures for the 2025 presidential elections, include Hermine Patricia Tomaino epse Ndam Njoya of CDU, Cabral Libii Ngue of PCRN, and  Prof Maurice Kamto of MRC.  The Extra –Ordinary National Convention of the SDF, on March 1, 2025, nominated Hon Joshua Nambangi Osih, as the party’s flag bearer at the 2025 presidential election. This brings the number of candidates in this category to four.

Uncertainty About Kamto and Cabral Libii’s Candidacies

It should however be noted that out of these four presidential candidates of the genuine opposition, only the case of  Mrs Ndam Njoya of CDU and Hon Joshua Osih of  the SDF, stand out clear or certain. The case of Maurice Kamto of MRC is not yet certain or clear.  The MRC boycotted the last legislative and municipal elections in Cameroon, and thus is neither represented in the National Assembly, the Senate or in a municipal council, and so cannot give investiture to a candidate for the 2025 presidential election.  Up to now, it is clear whether the MRC leadership has been able to find another political party that can give investiture to Kamto for the 2025 presidential election.

As for Cabral Libii of PCRN, there has since 2023 being a conflict over the ownership of the party  between Cabral Libii who is the party’s official National President, and Pa  Robert Kona,  who claims he is the Founding President of  the PCRN. While the Law is on the side of Cabral Libii, Pa Kona is being flagrantly backed by the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, who is covering Pa Kona to violate court decisions with impunity.

It is thus not certain at this juncture, as to whether Cabral Libii will be able to run on the ticket of the PCRN at the 2025 presidential election. It is not also known whether he is working on a Plan B.

• Category 2: Presidential Candidates Of The Opposition That Participate Without Intention To Win
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As aforementioned, this is the category of some members of the genuine opposition, who become presidential candidates knowing fully well that they do not have the chance to win the election, but then still go ahead. Their real intention is just to participate in the presidential election. Different persons have different reasons for doing this. Some may have an eye for future presidential elections, and thus participate now in the election just with the intention to garnered experience. There are some of these persons whose goal in participating in the presidential election is to add it to their CVs (a former presidential candidate).   There are some who just participate as candidates in the presidential election, just for the pleasure of participating.

At the last presidential election in 2018, there were two candidates in this category. They were Garga Haman Adji of ADD, and Akere Tabeng Muna who ran on the ticket of FPD. Garga Haman Adji was not in his first participation at the presidential election, and like in his two previous participations (2004 and 2011 presidential election), he campaigned for the 2018 presidential election only in his ‘native’ Far North Region. An opposition candidate with the intention to win the presidential election will not do things that way.  As for Barrister Akere Muna, he was in his first participation at the presidential election in 2018, and even withdrew a few days to the election in favour of Maurice Kamto’s candidature. It looks like in his first participation Muna was just out to test the ground.

• Category 3: Presidential Candidates Who Are Fake Opposition Members, Sponsored By The Regime

These are so called presidential candidates of some satellite CPDM parties that claim to be opposition parties. They are sponsored by the regime. They participate in presidential elections with special assignments given to them by the CPDM or Biya regime, their paymaster. The mission of the presidential candidates of some of the satellite parties of the CPDM, especially those parties that pretentiously operate in a way that the public mistakenly take them for genuine opposition because of the noise they make, is to work to reduce the votes of genuine opposition candidates at the election, to the advantage of the incumbent or candidate of the ruling CPDM. The main mission of some others, is to try to discredit, destabilize or divide the opposition candidates in the election, to the advantage of the candidate of the ruling CPDM.

There was no clear case of a presidential candidate of this category at the 2018 presidential election. But there were several of such candidates in previous elections. For example, Gustave Essaka of DIC Party, that was  a satellite party of the CPDM,  participated in presidential elections with his main mission being to launch incessant attacks against the then opposition leader in the country, Ni John Fru Ndi, National Chairman and presidential candidate of the SDF.

Meanwhile in the long list of ‘opposition members’ that have so far declared their candidacies  for  the 2025 presidential elections, a majority of them are in this category  of pro –  CPDM candidates or agents of the regime. It is very likely that some of them will actually be candidates in the election, with specific missions or assignments against the genuine opposition candidates and parties.

• Category 4: Candidates Who Participate With Hope That Their Exposure Might Open Doors

There are candidates of some small opposition parties that participate in the presidential election not with the dream that they can win, but with the hope that their participation, or better still, their exposure, can open doors for them. These are people that at the beginning of their political career were really of the opposition, and  were also hoping that  politics would help them to make a breakthrough in life, and better the lives of their families, and of course theirs. But they have along the line come to the conclusion that with I their small political parties, they will never be able to become mayors, MPs or senators one day. They have come to the conclusion that they can only be able to reap from politics, by having contacts with some influential members of the regime or with the regime itself. But as smart fellows, they know that if they changed their ‘colours’ to start openly supporting the regime, they will not gain anything substantial, as the regime already has so many satellite parties or agents in the opposition.

The Case Of Jean de Dieu Momo As An Example

An example of such a candidate at the 2011 presidential election was Barrister Jean de Dieu Momo of PADDEC.  Momo was the 8^th at the 2011 presidential election with 23,791 votes.  After making some inflammatory declarations and participating in the presidential election which gave him good exposure, Jean de Dieu Momo, though the leader of a very small party, PADDEC, again played smart by associating himself with big opposition leaders like Ni John Fru Nid or SDF and Dr Adamou Ndam Njoya of  the CDU.  It would be recalled that after the 2011 presidential election which was heavily rigged by the CPDM regime as usual, the major opposition leaders agreed to hold a meeting in Foumban hosted by the CDU leader, Ndam Njoya, to see what they could do to stop the mess. Jean de Momo of PADDEC voluntarily travelled to Foumban for the opposition meeting, and was welcomed. There were a total of seven opposition leaders at the meeting.

The then Douala based Jean de Dieu Momo, proposed that upon his return to Douala, he would contact, or go around media houses to grant interviews, so as to sensitize the public on the proposals and plan of actions of the opposition group. Of course neither Fru Ndi, nor Ndam Njoya and the others, had any objection. Upon his return to Douala, Momo adopted the name G7 for the group, and declared himself spokesman of the G 7. He granted interviews, made a lot of noise, and the regime took note of him. Today he is in Government, and criticizing the opposition.

It should be noted that Minister Momo disclosed over Vision 4 TV in Yaounde late last year, that he was the one that proposed to the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji in 2018, the idea to create the so called G.20 to support the candidature of President Biya, at the 2018 presidential election. He said he and Minister Atanga Nji then worked together on the project to create the G. 20. Cameroon!