October 12, 2025 Presidential Election: BELL JOSEPH ANTOINE And SAMUEL ETO’O FILS, To Campaign For 92 Year Old PAUL BIYA

BELL And ETO’O, Who Both Hail From Ngambe Sub –division, Sanaga – Maritime Division In The Littoral Region, Are Vice Presidents Of The  Ngambe Sub –divisional Campaign Team

Observers Think That Despite Their Popularity, It Will Not Be Easy For BELL And ETO’O, To Convince Their Bassa People To Sing,” PAUL BIYA,  Oye’, Because Of The Bad State Of The Road, Dilapidated Health Center, Etc. More So, Another,  Bassa Son, CABRAL LIBII,  Is A Candidate

Two Cameroonian football legends, Bell Joseph Antoine and  Samuel Eto’o Fills, who both hail from Ngambe Sub –division, Sanaga Maritime Division in the  Littoral Region, are both in the campaign team of the 92 old  Paul Biya, the incumbent candidate for the October 12, 2025 presidential election.  Both Bell and Eto’o are among the over a dozen Vice Presidents of the Ngambe Sub –divisional Campaign Team, which has as President, Biboum II Jacques Calvin.

It should be noted that Bell Joseph Antoine who has been the traditional ruler of his village for a couple of years now, is as well the current Board Chair of the National Sports Facilities and Equipment Board commonly known by the French acronym, ONNIES. As for Samuel Eto’o Fils, he is the current President of the Cameroon Football Federation commonly known by the French acronym, FECAFOOT.  Both Bell and Eto’o will be actively taking part in an election campaign in the political domain, for the first time.

Bell Joseph Antoine

It should be noted that for a longtime, Bell Joseph Antoine was not in the good books of the Cameroonian authorities. His outspokenness and audaciousness, made him to be considered as somebody with a “rebellious attitude”. Bell, kept a distance from politics. But his appointment as Board Chair of ONIES a few years ago changed his attitude to an extent.  His change of attitude could also be seen as a sort of reciprocity to the change of the attitude by the Cameroonian authorities, as seen with his appointment of Board Chair of ONNIES, as well as a show of gratitude for the appointment.

A couple of months ago, Bell Joseph Antoine was seen, hanging a muffler of the ruling CPDM Party, at a CPDM event, in the Sanaga Maritme Division, besides the Minister of Transport, Jean Ernest Massena Ngalle Bibehe, who is also the Sanaga Maritime Divisional Coordinator of the CPDM.   The muffler was apparently given to him at the event, and he seemed to be amused with it.  There is no doubt that Bell finds himself in politics today, because of his appointment as Board Chair of a State corporation, ONNIES. That is how the ruling CPDM mostly recruit its militants.

As aforementioned, Bell Joseph Antoine is also a traditional ruler of his village, and that is  why  his name appeared on the list of the Ngambe Sub –divisional Campaign Team for  the re-election of President Biya, as “SM Bell Joseph Antoine”, that is,  ‘Sa Majeste Bell Joseph Antoine’ or His Majesty Bell Joseph Antoine.

Samuel Eto’o Fils

As for Samuel Eto’o Fills, though he has before now never been known to be active in politics, he has however been close to politics in the last couple of years, especially since becoming President of FECAFOOT. Eto’o has been close to the presidential family in the last couple of years, and it is thus not surprising that he is in the campaign team of President Biya.  Eto’o even recently got FECAFOOT to launch a special football competition, Paul Biya Football Cup. That did not go down well with many who accused Eto’o of using FECAFOOT, which is supposed to be apolitical, to project the image of President Biya during this presidential election period. These are some of things that have made Eto’o to be in the bad books of some major opposition parties in the country, and there is no doubt that if a party like the MRC or its close ally comes to power, Eto’o will have it very rough as President of FECAFOOT.

The Mafia That Eto’o Played In 2018, To Protect BIya Ahead Of Election

Samuel Eto’o’s problem with Maurice Kamto’s MRC in particular, started in 2018, in connection to the October 7, 2018 presidential election. Eto’o declared support for President Biya, and even called on Cameroonians to vote him. That was however not a problem to MRC.

What so much offended MRC, was the game that Eto’o played, to get his friend, Ahmad Ahmad, the then President  of  Confederation of African Football, CAF, to delay the announcement that the 2019 AFCON which was scheduled to hold in Cameroon, would not hold because  the infrastructures were not ready, and to instead lie to the Cameroonian people.  When the President of CAF, Ahmad Ahmad, visited Cameroon to inform the Government of the CAF decision, Eto’o accompanied him to the Presidency where he informed President Biya. But Eto’o pleaded to the CAF President not to make the information public, for, fear that the opposition would use it against President Biya in the presidential election which was barely a few months ago.  Talking to the reporters at the Presidency after the meeting with President Biya, Ahmad Ahmad scandalously lied that everything was on course for Cameroon to host the 2019 African Cup of Nations (AFCON).

But a few weeks after the October 7, 2018 presidential election in Cameroon, the CAF President on a visit to Ghana, announced that Cameroon would not host the 2019 AFCON. The Cameroonian opposition discovered the mafia that Eto’o played to protect President Biya ahead of the presidential election, and were furious. The mafia that Eto’o played to protect President Biya ahead of the 2018 presidential election, brought him closer to the presidential family as well as to the Presidency of the Republic.

Eto’o Visits CPDM Secretary General

After becoming President of FECAFOOT, Eto’o at one point visited the Secretary General of the Central Committee of the CPDM, Jean Nkuete, in his office at the CPDM headquarters in Yaounde, There were allegations that Eto’o was trying to enter the CPDM from the top (Central Committee), but that the party’s Secretary General advised him to go and start at the base as is normally done.

It should be noted that the Presidency of the Republic, contributed much to the election of Samuel Eto’o Fils as President of FECAFOOT in December 2021.  Eto’o has as well depended much on his closeness to the presidential family and some of the President’s close collaborators, for protection in some of the conflicts in which he has plunged himself, since becoming President of FECAFOOT. Eto’o is a few months to the end of his first four year mandate, as FECAFOOT President, and there is no doubt that he will need the support of the presidential coupe for his reelection.

Strained Relationship

Meanwhile, Bell Joseph Antoine and Samuel Eto’o Fils have a hard a strained relationship for over a year now, over disputes between ONIES and FECAFOOT, all thought to be connected to conflicts between FECAFOOT and Ministry of Sports and Physical Education, with FECAFOOT considering ONIES as an ally of Ministry of Sports against FECAFOOT. However, both Bell and Eto’o are now supposed to at least temporary silence their guns, as they prepare to travel to Ngambe to campaign for the re-election of President Biya who is close to 93, and have been in power for over 42 long years, and is seeking the 8^th mandate.

There is no doubt that the CPDM Sub –divisional Campaign Team in Ngambe, of which Bell Joseph Antoine Bell and Samuel Eto’o Fils  are Vice Presidents, will not have it easy , considering that Ngambe is a Bassa Community or Bassa land. The Bassa people are known to be historically for UPC Party.  In recent years, many Bassas have turned Pro –PCRN, as the party, which has become one of the major opposition parties in the country, is led by an illustrious Bassa son, Hon Cabral Libii Ngue, who is also a candidate for the October 12, 2025 presidential election.  So there will definitely be a tough fight in Ngambe between the CPDM of Bell Joseph Antoine and Samuel Eto’o Fils, and PCRN of Hon Cabral Libii Ngue.

But before getting to Ngambe for the campaign, Bell and Eto’o will first face the problem of the Pouma – Ngambe road, which is in very state.  Not only will it not be easy for Bell and Eto’o to get to Ngambe because of the bad state of the road, but it will also not be easy for them to get a  population of an area with such a bad road, and in addition other problems like the dilapidated health center, to sing, “Paul Biya Oye, ye ye ye”.

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