October 12, 2025 Presidential Election: The Controversial Designation Of ISSA TCHIROMA As ‘Consensual Candidate’, Has Further Split The Opposition

October 12, 2025 Presidential Election:  The Controversial Designation Of ISSA TCHIROMA As ‘Consensual Candidate’, Has Further Split The Opposition

BELLO’S UNDP Questions Who Gave Those That Designated TCHIROMA As Consensus Candidate, The Mandate. Says Only A Candidate Can Decide To Withdraw To Support Another Candidate

CDU Leader And Presidential Candidate, TOMAINO NDAM NJOYA, Denounces The Controversial Designation Of TCHIROMA As Consensus Candidate, As A Manipulation To Impose A Candidate

PAL Leader, BEDZIGUI, Dismisses As False, Declaration That There Is A Consensual Candidate, While MRC, PURS And Others, Denounce What They Term, “A Consensus Without Consultation”

If the controversial decision that was announced on Saturday, September 13, 2025 by the so called ‘Union for Change’ designating the FSNC leader and presidential candidate, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, as the consensus candidate of the opposition for the October 12, 2025 presidential election, has succeeded to do anything, it is that, it has further split the opposition less than a month to the 2025 crucial presidential election in Cameroon.

The reason for this is that, the so called Union for Change that designated that on September 13 announced the designation of Issa Tchiroma as the purported consensus candidate of the opposition, for the October 12, 2025 presidential election, did so, without any consultation, not to talk of consensus, of opposition parties, and especially presidential candidates of the opposition, on the issue. The parties of some of these opposition candidates have in fact come out to make it known, that they were not even contacted on the issue, by the so called Union for Change created by two controversial politicians, Ekane Anicet, he National President of MANIDEM, and Djeukam Tchameni, the National President of the little known MDI Party.   As a result, all the 10 other opposition candidates and their parties, simply do not recognize the so called Union for Change, as well as Issa Tchiroma, as the consensual candidate of the opposition.

 Reaction By Bello  Bouba  Maigari’s UNDP

A swift reaction by Bello Bouba’s UNDP contained in a  communiqué issued on Sunday, September 14, 2025 and signed by the Campaign Manager and Spokesman of party’s presidential candidate,, Pierre Flambeau Ngayap, who is also the party s Secretary General, the party  first of all stated that the Electoral Board of ELECAM, is the only authorized  body with powers to validate the list of candidates authorized to participate in the presidential election in Cameroon, adding that the Constitutional Council comes in,  when there is  a dispute.  By this, the UNDP was saying that only ELECAM and the Constitutional Council, has authority to decide as to who should be a candidate or not, at the presidential election, and not ‘Union for Change’ or any other group.

UNDP went on in the communiqué, to insist that after the validation of the candidacies of persons to participate in the presidential election by ELECAM, and the Constitutional Council in case of a dispute, “only a presidential candidate can decide on whether to continue in the race or, whether to withdraw and support another candidate”. By this, the UNDP was making it clear that at this stage, only the party’s presidential candidate, Bello Bouba Maigari, can legally take a decision on any issue related to either continuing in the election as candidate, or to withdraw in support of another candidate. And thus, any decision taken by any person or group, on the issue of a single or consensus candidate of the opposition for the October 12 presidential election, without the approval UNDP’s presidential candidate, Bello Bouba Maigari, does not concern or commits the party and its presidential candidate.

UNDP Refers To Ekane And Djeukam Door – To – Door Salesmen (Hawkers).

UNDP said the party was thus not concern by any decision taken by individuals without a mandate, or those the party referred to as ‘”demarchers isolee de groupuscles” (small group doing door- to – door sales), that claim to have designated a consensual candidate of the opposition for the October 12 presidential election.

So UNDP  refers to the persons (Ekane Anicet and Djeukam Tchameni) that under the canopy of Union for Change, controversially designated  Issa Tchiroma as the consensus candidate of  the opposition for the October 12 presidential election, as  a small group of persons doing door – to – door sales, or better still, as ‘demarcheurs’, that is door – to – door salesmen or hawkers.  UNDP is by that insinuating that  the small group  of Ekane and Djeukam, went around looking for a client to pay them to designate him as consensual candidate, and found  one. It should however be noted that UNDP in the communiqué does not mention the name of any person. Even the name, Union for Change, is not mentioned.  UNDP is however not alone in this thinking, as many other opposition parties and presidential candidates, also do think that the controversial designation by the so called Union for Change, was a business.

Meanwhile the UNDP communiqué ended with a call by the party’s National President and presidential candidate, Bello Bouba Maigari, on all militants of the party, and other supporters and sympathizers, to remain serein, and to continue to organize and support his election campaign.

Madam Ndam Njoya Denounces Manipulation

Meanwhile, reacting from France where she went to meet her supporters as part of her pre-election campaign, the leader and presidential candidate of CDU, Patricia Tomaino Ndam Njoya, denounced the controversial designation of Issa Tchiroma Bakary, as the consensus candidate of the opposition for the October 12, 2025 presidential election, as a manipulation to impose a candidate on the opposition and the Cameroonian people. It should be noted that  Madam Tomaino Ndam Njoya who is also the Mayor of Foumban and former MP, is the initiator of the Foumban Group that succeeded to  bring together  more than half of opposition candidates (and their parties), for  the October 12 presidential election, to try and designate a consensual candidate for election. Worth noting that Issa Tchiroma is, or was, part of the Foumban Group, which has so far not succeeded to designate a consensus presidential candidate of the Group, as no candidate has been willing to withdraw his candidature to support another candidate.

Other Reactions From Opposition Ranks

The frontline opposition party, MRC, of Prof Maurice Kamto, has in its reaction, dismissed the controversial designation of the FSNC leader and presidential candidate, Issa Tchiroma  Bakary, as the purported consensus candidate of the opposition for the October 12 presidential election, as a “Consensus Without Consultation”. MRC says it is a disrespect of others. The party insists that it was never consulted or contacted on the issue.

On his part, the National President of PAL Celestin Bedzigue, whose party has a candidate in the  October 12, 2025 presidential election, in the person of Ateki Seta Caxton, has denounced as false, the declaration that was made by the so called ‘Union for Change’ on September 13, 2025, that Issa Tchiroma Bakary is the consensual candidate of  the opposition. PURS of Serge Espoir Matomba, who is also a candidate in the October 12, 2025 presidential election, has in its reaction to the controversial designation of Issa Tchiroma Bakary by the so called Union for Change, as the consensus candidate of the opposition for the presidential election, also declared that it was never consulted or contacted on the issue, and so does not recognize such a designation.

SDF And Others Simply Ignores The September Controversial Designation

Some opposition parties and presidential candidates have simply ignored the controversial designation to designate  Issa Tchiroma Bakary, as the consensus candidate of the opposition for the October 12 presidential election, by the so called Union for Change. On that same Saturday, September 13, 2025 in Yaounde, when the purported Union for Change was designating Issa Tchiroma, as the so called consensus candidate of the opposition for the October 12 presidential election, the National Chairman and presidential candidate of the SDF, Hon Joshua Nambangi Osih, was in the city intensifying preparations for his election. Osih was busy discussing with members of SDF’s National Executive Committee, NEC, updates on the party’s preparation and mobilization for the October 12 presidential election.

The presidential candidate of FDC, Iyodi Hiram Samuel, who was a guest on the Programme, ‘ La Verite En Face’ over Equinoxe Tv in  the evening of Sunday, September 14, 2025, focused on  how he will turn the country around if voted at the October 12, 2025  presidential election, to become the new President of the Republic. This was a tacit rejection of the controversial designation of Issa Tchiroma as the so called consensual candidate of the opposition, for the presidential election.

The National President and presidential candidate of PCRN, Cabral Libii Ngue, travelled to Europe as part of his pre – election campaign drive. However Cabral Libii is on record to have repeatedly said that he and the PCRN cannot work with any former member of the Biya regime like Issa Tchiroma, in the presidential election. Speaking in a proagmme, ‘Club de L’Elites’, over Vision 4 in Yaounde on Sunday, September 14, an official of the PCRN, Christian Ndjock, took a jab on Djeukam Tchameni and Ekane Anicet of the purported Union of Change.  He questioned what  election the two men behind the so called ‘Union for Change’, that controversially designated Issa Tchiroma as consensus candidate of the October 12 presidential election, have ever won in their political career, to be boasting of how the have great experience in politics, and want to give lectures to others on how an election can be won.  He suggested that some of the old politicians around should go on retirement.

Controversial Designation Has Further Split The Opposition

Suffice to say that apart from Issa Tchiroma Bakary, no other opposition candidate for the October 12, 2025 presidential election has reacted, positively to the controversial decision by the so called Union for Change that, on Saturday, September 13, 2025 designated Tchiroma as the purported consensus candidate of the opposition for the presidential election. As aforementioned, if the act has succeeded to do one thing, it is that it has further split the opposition, just weeks to the crucial October 12 presidential election.

Before the September 13 controversy came in, there were talks of a possible alliance of the two major opposition parties of the Grand North that is, the UNDP of Bello Bouba, and the FSNC of Issa Tchiroma, for the presidential election.  The UNDP leader, Bello Bouba Maigari, for example led a delegation to meet the FSNC leader, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, and some of his close collaborators, for talks.  But with the September 13 controversial designation of Issa Tchiroma, as the consensual candidate of  the opposition for the October 12 presidential election, and more so the acceptance of such a designation by Tchiroma, and also considering the swift reaction of UNDP, the possibility of UNDP and FSNC forming an alliance, has become complicated.

Meanwhile, contrary to reports on social media, the FSNC National President, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, has not attacked Bello Bouba or even formally reacted to the September 14 press release by UNDP, criticizing the September 13 controversial designation as consensual candidate of the opposition for the October 12 presidential reaction. The FSNC has dismissed the reports on the social media alleging that, Issa Tchiroma, in reaction to the UNDP communiqué blasted Bello Bouba, as fake news.