Member Of The UNDP Central Committee, MAIDADI SEIDOU (former Vice Chair Of SDF), Says He Today Supports An End To The Alliance Between CPDM And UNDP

Says the base of the UNDP is more interested in the legislative and municipal elections, than in the presidential election

 But that the base of the UNDP is against their party supporting the candidate of another party at the presidential election, because it affects the party at legislative and municipal elections

Since Bello Bouba became the leader of UNDP in January 1992, the party has never been part of any opposition alliance or group   

A member of the Central Committee of the UNDP, MAIDADI SEIDOU, former Vice National Chairman of the SDF, who has in the past days been contacted by a number of local Tv channels on the issue of the alliance between CPDM and UNDP, has perhaps, understandably, not been quite open in talking on the issue ahead of the enlarged meeting of the party’s Central Committee, scheduled for Yaounde on June 28, 2025.  All what Maidadi has been able to say, has been to confirm that there is a division in the party over the issue as to whether the party should continue the alliance with the CPDM, or put an end to it. But as Maidadi has reiterated, the issue is not new in the party.

Interestingly enough, Maidadi has as well disclosed that at the meeting of the Central Committee of the UNDP that held shortly before the last presidential election which was in 2018, he was in support of the continuation of the alliance with the CPDM, but that today he is in favour of ending the alliance.  He says at the meeting of the Central Committee of the UNDP ahead of the 2018 presidential elections, he was one of those that worked round the clock to try to convince those comrades that were against the continuation of the alliance with CPDM, to change their position on the issue. But today Maidadi minces no words that he is no longer in support of the alliance between the UNDP and the CPDM, though he would not disclose the reason for the change of position on the issue.

As regard the reported discontent with the alliance at the base of the UNDP, Maidadi Seidou says the base has a divided opinion on the issue of the alliance. He says while there are some grass root militants who see nothing wrong in going on with the alliance with the CPDM, there are many, who are against.  He has however stopped short of saying that the majority of UNDP militants at the grass root today, are against the alliance.

UNDP Militants Not In Support Of The Candidate Of Another Party

Meanwhile as regard the call in the UNDP that the National President of the party, BELLO BOUBA MAIGARI, should be the party’s candidate at the 2025 presidential election, the Central Committee member, Maidadi Seidou, says it is true. But he quickly adds that the interest of the party’s base or grass root is not really the presidential election, but rather the legislative and municipal elections. He explains that the party’s base has been complaining that when the party supports the candidate of another party at the presidential election, as has been happening since the 2004 presidential election where the UNDP has been supporting the CPDM candidate, it negatively affects the party (UNDP) at the legislative and municipal elections.

CPDM Manipulations Of Public Opinions  

Many militants, especially sympathizers, of the UNDP in the rural areas are said to be confused, that at the presidential election the Central Committee of the party calls on the UNDP militants to vote for the CPDM candidate, giving many positive reasons for that. Then come the legislative and municipal elections, and the UNDP and the CPDM, especially in the Grand North, get involved in a big fight, fierce attacks and counter attacks, and so on.

Many UNDP militants in the Grand North are said to attribute the drop over the years in the number of parliamentary seats and municipal councils that the party has, to the alliance with the CPDM. So according to Maidadi Seidou, what many militants at the base of the UNDP want, is that the party should breakup the alliance with the CPDM, and put up a candidate at the 2025 presidential election. That the interest of the UNDP militants in calling for the party to have a candidate at the presidential election is not so much about winning the election, but that it will help to increase, or at least maintain the militants of  the party, for the legislative and municipal elections. That when the UNDP supports the candidate of another party at the presidential election, it ends up losing some militants and sympathizers to the party.

  UNDP Under Bello Bouba Maigari / Won A Record Number Of Parliamentary Seats In 1992

It should be noted that since the northern mafia in January 1992 pushed aside SAMUEL EBOUA, former Secretary General at the Presidency, for BELLO BOUBA MAIGARI, former Prime Minister, to take over the leadership of the UNDP Party, the party unlike when it was under Samuel Eboua, has never been part of any opposition alliance or group.

When Bello Bouba took over UNDP, the party which was at the frontline line of the Coordination of Opposition Parties and Civil Society Organization, of which the then UNDP leader (Samuel Eboua), was President, was silently pulled out.  When the opposition took the decision to boycott the first multiparty legislative and municipal elections on March 1, 1992, the new UNDP leader, Bello Bouba, led the party into the elections. In the absence of the SDF, UNDP won many parliamentary seats not only in the Grand North, but even in some other areas in the country like in the Southwest Region. UNDP won a total of 68 parliamentary seats, the highest to have ever been won by an opposition party in Cameroon so far.

AN Impressive Performance At The 1992 Presidential Election

When the Union for Change was created to tacitly to replace the moribund Coordination of Opposition Parties and Civil society Organizations, Bello Bouba still kept away UNDP. At the first multiparty presidential election in October 1992, Bello Bouba’s UNDP that was not part of the Union for Change, decided to go it alone, with Bello Bouba as the party’s presidential candidate. Bello Bouba however put an impressive performance at the election, grabbing a little over 20% of the vote, though this is rarely mentioned, as the talk about the 1992 presidential election is always focused on Paul Biya and Ni John Fru Ndi.

Boycott Of 1997 Presidential Election / Signs Alliance With CPDM

Meanwhile the National President of the UNDP, Bello Bouba Maigari, the National Chairman of the SDF, Ni John Fru Ndi, the National President of the CDU, Dr Adamou Ndam Njoya, all concerted and agreed to boycott the 1997 presidential election.

But to the greatest surprise or embarrassment of the SDF and others, the UNDP signed an alliance with the CPDM soon after the 1997 presidential election, and Bello Bouba and some of his men entered the Government. Also, considering that the alliance was signed shortly after the presidential election, a debate also erupted as to when the secret discussion between the CPDM and the UNDP started, that culminated in the signing of the alliance soon after the presidential election. The feeling in the SDF for example, was that Bello Bouba deceived Fru Ndi, by discussing with him that they should boycott the presidential election, while secretly negotiating with the CPDM for an alliance.  But the UNDP men claim that the discussion for the signing of the alliance between the party and the ruling CPDM, started after the presidential election and not before.

Whatever the case, the UNDP has since then not sent in a candidate for any presidential election that has taken place in Cameroon. Rather, in line with the terms of the alliance signed with the CPDM, the UNDP has supported or voted for the candidate of the ruling CPDM Party, at the different presidential elections.

Increasing Discontent Over The Alliance

Now however, there are there is said to be an increasing discontent in the UNDP over the alliance with the CPDM. But it remains to be seen whether the crucial enlarged meeting of the Central Committee of the UNDP, scheduled for June 28, 2025 in Yaounde, will decide that the party should breakup the alliance with the CPDM, or maintain the alliance.

The UNDP Central Committee member, Maidadi Seidou, say Bello Bouba’s position as UNDP leader is not contested by anybody in the party. He says the only discontent that UNDP militants have with their leader, Bello Bouba, is over his support for President Biya.

 It should be noted that Bello Bouba’s UNDP, is in democratic principle currently the second political force in the country, after the CPDM. The UNDP has 7 MPs, 17 Municipal Councils, I Senator and 1 Regional Council.