Joe Dinga Pefok (Uncle Joe)
This Was The Main Reason For The Bitter Conflicts That Sparked Off Between Leaders Of ‘YANGO Parties’ And Their Presidential Candidates. When For Example, The President Of FDC, Denis Atangana, Attacked Iyodi Hiram, the Party’s Presidential Candidate, Iyodi In A Communiqué Disclosed That Atangana Wanted Him To Declare Support For Biya, But He Refused.
Since ‘Yango Parties’ came into the Cameroon political scene at the 2011 presidential election, there has been increasing cases of open conflicts between the Presidents of these parties and their presidential candidates or ‘clients’, confirming the fact that the presidential candidates are not real militants of those parties, and that they have their independent positions or ambitions, that are often different from those Of the party leaders. The conflicts also further exposed the violation of the Electoral Code, which states that persons to whom, political parties give investitures, to run as their presidential candidates, have to be militants of those parties.
2011 Presidential Election
As we indicated in an earlier article in this series, the first ‘Yango Party’ appeared on the Cameroon political scene in 2011, precisely at the 2011 presidential election. This was when the former General Manager of the National Investment Forum, Esther Dang, struck a deal with the leader of the BRIC Party, Ernest Pekebou, to be given investiture by BRIC, to run in the presidential election as the party’s candidate, even though she in reality was not a militant of the party. But the deal ended in an open conflict. However there is a difference between that conflict and, others that followed in presidential elections that came up later.
The first conflict was between a group of “senior officials” of BRIC, against the party leader and his presidential candidate or ‘client’. The conflict sparked off immediately after the presidential election. What happened was that, the leader of BRIC, did not tell those that were supposed to his close collaborators in the small party, the truth about the financial terms of the deal that he and Madam Dang struck. The BRIC President reportedly told his “close collaborators” that there would be money for them, when the State would officially disburse campaign funds to presidential candidates. So the promise was that they would receive part of the campaign funds allocated to Madam Dang by the State. But when the money was disbursed, the President of BRIC kept telling his men to be patient, until the two weeks of official campaign ended without them having received a franc.
Conflict Erupts Over Money
Immediately after the presidential election, the group of disgruntled “senior officials” of BRIC, resolved to confront Madam Esther Dang directly, over the money issue. They complained that they even spent the little money that they individually had, for the election campaign, since their small party had nothing. But the lady told them off. She said she knew only the President of BRIC, with whom she had a discussion to become the candidate of the party at the presidential election, and did not know the other people.
Also, the President of BRIC apparently deceived his close collaborators that Madam Dang had in reality joined the party, and thus was a real militant of the party. So the disgruntled “senior officials” of BRIC decided that Madam Dang should be summoned to face the Disciplinary Committee of the party over the money issue. But again the Lady told them off. She said the election was over, and that she had nothing again to do with the BRIC Party, for she was gone. The conflict then went public. When confronted by the press over the scandalous issue, the President of BRIC tried to downplay it, claiming that the conflict was due to some so called misunderstandings by his close collaborators.
2018 Presidential Election
There were three ‘Yango Parties’ at the 2018 presidential election. The parties were FPD which had as presidential candidate or ‘client’, Barrister Muna Akere Tabeng (Akere Muna), ‘Parti Universe’ which had as presidential candidate or ‘client’, Cabral Libii Ngue, and MCNC that had as presidential candidate or ‘client’, Ndifor Afanwi Franklin, a man – of – God who was popularly known as Prophet Frank.
Soon after the presidential election, a big conflict erupted between the camp of Cabral Libii Ngue, precisely his movement, “Operation 11 Million”, and the President of ‘Parti Unverse’, Prof Nkou Mvondo Prosper, over money. It should be noted that Cabral Libii Ngue’s campaign for the October 7, 2018 presidential election, was entirely management by the “Operation 11 Million’ movement which he led, and not by ‘Parti Universe’. The movement among other things set up a Finance Committee, that was charged to manage all the funds that came in, as financial contributions for the campaign, from supporters and sympathizers at home, as well as those in the diaspora,
Campaign Fund From The State, Paid Into The Account Of ‘Parti Universe’.
It also happened that at the 2018 presidential election, the new Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, changed the system that he met in place, as regard the way the campaign funds officially allocated by the State to presidential candidates, were given to the candidates. Unlike with the previous presidential elections where the campaign funds from the State were disbursed directly by the Ministry of Territorial Administration to the candidates, or persons designated by the candidates, campaign funds from the State to presidential candidates for the October 7, 2018 presidential election, were instead paid by the ministry into the bank accounts of the different political parties, on whose tickets the candidates were running in the election. So Cabral Libii’s share of the campaign funds, allocated to presidential candidates by the State, was paid into the bank account of the ‘Yango Party’ or ‘Parti Universe’, to which he was not a signatory.
Conflict Over Money
Meanwhile after the presidential election, the record, of the Finance Committee for Cabral Libii’s campaign, showed that part of the campaign fund that was allocated for Cabral Libii’s campaign by the State, was still in the bank account of ‘Parti Universe’. It was said that over 5 million francs CFA was still left in the account. The Finance Committee for the campaign thus asked the President of ‘Parti Universe’, Prof Nkou Mvondo, to withdraw the money and handover to the committee, so that the committee could balance its account, and handover the file to the national organizing committee of the election.
Suffice to say that the President of ‘Parti Universe’ resisted handing over the money. Members of the “Operation 11 Million” movement, who were predominantly youths, including many students, flared up over the issue. Cabral Libii who had a personal relationship with Prof Nkou Mvondo, tried in vain to calm down his colleagues of the movement, who finally took the scandal to the market place, and it became a subject of discussion in public. It was in that situation of conflict over money, that the Cabral Libii –led “Operation 11 Million’ movement separated with the President of ‘Parti Universe’, Prof Nkou Mvondo, after the 2018 presidential election.
2025 Presidential Election:
There were a total of six ‘Yango Parties’ for the 2025 presidential election, but Elections Cameroon (ELECAM) and the Constitutional Council validated only the files of candidates of four of the parties. The four included PAL which had as presidential candidate or ‘client’, Ateki Seta Caxton, MCNC which had as presidential candidate or ‘client’ Bougha Hagbe Jacques, ‘Parti Universe’ which had as presidential candidate or ‘client’, Barrister Muna Akere Tabeng (Akere Muna), and FDC which had as presidential candidate or ‘client’, Iyodi Hiram Samuel.
Conflicts scandalously sparked off in public at different stages of the 2025 presidential election, between all the Presidents of the ‘Yango Parties’ and their presidential candidates or ‘clients’. The most ‘violent’ of the conflicts erupted between the President of ‘Parti Universe’, Prof Nkou Mvondo Prosper, and the presidential candidate or ‘client’ of the ‘Yango Party’, Barrister Akere Muna, as well as between the President of FDC, Denis Emilien Atangana, and the presidential candidate or ‘client’ of the ‘Yango Party’, Iyodi Hiram Samuel.
Conflict Between Nkou Mvondo And Akere Muna
The first of the ‘violent’ conflict that erupted was that, between the President of ‘Parti Universe’, Prof Nkou Mvondo Prosper, and the party’s candidate for the October 12, 2025 presidential election, Barrister Akere Muna. It should be noted that the leader of ‘Parti Universe’, Prof Nkou Mvondo, was silent when Akere Muna went onboard the platform of the opposition coalition that, was commonly known as the Foumban Group. The opposition platform was trying to designate a consensus candidate of the group, for the October 12, 2025 presidential election. Unfortunately the political project did not work.
Meanwhile, Prof Nkou Mvondo strongly disagreed with Akere Muna, when the latter indicated he wanted to get into an alliance, with either the UNDP leader and presidential candidate, Bello Bouba Maigari, or the FSNC leader and presidential candidate, Issa Tchiroma Bakary. Both Bello Bouba and Issa Tchiroma then had just left the Biya government, which they had served for decades. That is, they had just left the Biya or CPDM regime of which they were part and parcel, for many years.
The conflict or disagreement between the President of ‘Parti Universe’, Nkou Mvondo, and the party’s presidential candidate, Akere Muna, escalated when Nkou Mvondo took the matter public. In a live TV programme, Prof Nkou Mvondo, who was a member of a panel discussion, suddenly diverted and made public the strong disagreement he had with Akere Muna. The President of ‘Parti Universe’ blasted the move by Akere Muna, who then was trying to enter into an alliance for the presidential election, with one of President Biya’s former ministers, and declared that his party would not follow Muna into any such alliance. Nkou Mvondo described the Biya or CPDM regime as evil, and vowed that he could never work with, or support, any person that has been part of the evil regime, for the person would never be different from the evil regime. He questioned the sincerely of Akere Muna when he preaches virtue, and want to ally with vice.
Conflict Between President of FDC And Iyodi Hiram Samuel
There was tension between the President of FDC, Denis Emilien Atangana, and the party’s presidential candidate, Iyodi Hiram Samuel, during the presidential election campaign. A few days after voters went to the poll on October 12, 2025, the President of FDC, surprisingly organized a press conference in the nation’s capital, Yaounde, and declared the party’s support for the incumbent in the election, Paul Biya. He even went to the extent of declaring that Biya had won the election, in flagrant violation of the Electoral Law, which states that the Constitutional Council is the only institution authorized to officially proclaim the result of the presidential election.
Also surprisingly and even embarrassingly enough, was the fact that, the President of the FDC, Denis Emilien Atangana, at the press conference launched attacks against the party’s candidate at the October 12, 2025 presidential election, Iyodi Emilien Samuel, and expressed regret he accepted that Iyodi should be his party’s presidential candidate. Atangana claimed that Iyoidi (less than 40), who was the youngest presidential candidate, did not know anything in politics, including how to campaign in an election, and that Iyodi allegedly created division in his party, tarnished the image of the party, and so on, and so forth.
In a swift reaction to the hostile declaration which was made by the President of FDC, Denis Emilien Atangana, the party’s presidential candidate for the October 12, 2025 presidential election, Iyodi Hiram Samuel, revealed in a communiqué, that Denis Atangana, during the two week period of official campaign, mounted pressure on him to declare support for the candidacy of the incumbent, Pau; Biya, and he refused. He firmly told Atangana that he would not support Biya’s candidacy, for anything on earth. Iyodi said that was the real reason for the FDC President’s anger against him, including Atangana’s launching of diatribes against him.
It should be noted that while the President of FDC, Denis Emilien Atangana, soon after the October 12, 2025 presidential election declared the party’s support for the CPDM candidate, Paul Biya, whom he congratulated for having allegedly won the election, the presidential Candidate of FDC, Iyodi Hiram Samuel, on his part congratulated the FSNC leader and presidential candidate, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who declared himself winner of the election. Iyodi called for the respect of the will of the people, which to him, was that Tchiroma was the real or true winner of the October 12, 2025 presidential election.
Disagreement Between President of PAL And Ateki Seta Caxton
Prior to the official presidential election campaign period, and throughout the campaign period for the October 12, 2025 presidential election, including when the presidential candidate of PAL, Ateki Seta Caxton, announced the withdrawal of his candidacy from the election to support the candidacy of the UNDP leader and presidential candidate, Bello Bouba Maigari, there was seemingly no serious problem between the President of PAL, Celestin Bedzigui, and PAL’s presidential candidate (Ateki Seta Caxton). In fact before Ateki Seta Caxton announced his decision to withdraw his candidacy to support Bello Bouba, the President of PAL in a social media post, disclosed that the party had given authorization to its presidential candidate, Ateki, to withdraw his candidacy and support a fellow candidate of his choice. So there was no problem when Ateki announced the withdrawal of his candidacy to support Bello Bouba.
But as aforementioned mentioned, less than 48 hours after the October 12, 2025 presidential election, the leader and presidential candidate of FSNC, Issa Tchiorma Bakary, declared himself as the winner of the election. Ateki Seta Caxrton congratulated Issa Tchiroma as the winner of the election, and called for the respect of the will of the people. But the President of PAL, Celestin Bedzigui, made a public outing through a communiqué that he issued, to publicly disagree with the position of Ateki. The PAL President in the communiqué minced no words in disassociating the party from the declaration that was made by Ateki Seta Caxton, who was PAL’s presidential candidate, congratulating Issa Tchiroma as winner of the October 12, 2025 presidential election.
Minister Atanga Nji Lashed Out At Presidents Of ‘Yango Parties’
Meanwhile, the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, at the 2025 presidential election, lashed out at unscrupulous Presidents of some small political parties, that he said had deliberately chosen to transform their parties into ‘Yango Parties’, or into what he termed, “taxi hiring services”. This is clear evidence that the Government is aware of the existence of ‘Yango Parties’, and is worried about the situation. For one thing too, it is illegal in Cameroon to use a political party as a business or to make money, as the Presidents of ‘Yango Parties’ are doing.
