Joe Dinga Pefok (Uncle Joe)
Under Maurice KAMTO’s Leadership, MRC Often Accused The CPDM Regime Of Plotting To Destabilize The Party. But Last Year, MRC Directorate Violated The Party’s Constitution (Article 29), And That Gave ‘Ammunitions’ To The Regime To Use Against The Party. What Any Opposition Party Should Strive To Avoid, Is To Commit The Same Faults, For Which It Criticizes The Regime.
Renowned Law Professor and former member of government, Prof Maurice Kamto, became National President of the MRC Party in 2017, ahead of the 2018 presidential election in which he was the party’s candidate. Early this week, precisely on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, Prof Kamto who was supposedly re-elected as National President of MRC barely on December 21, 2025, resigned from that post of National President, sparking all sorts of rumours, especially as he did not say anything concrete in his resignation letter, as regard the reason for his resignation,
However, The Mentor News has garnered from dependable sources close to the MRC Directorate, that the resignation of Kamto was linked to two serious issues that the Directorate of the party, apparently on the directives of Maurice Kamto, so poorly handled late last year, and by that gave ‘ammunitions’ to the CPDM regime to use against Kamto and the party. It should be noted that during the period that Prof Kamto was National President of MRC, the party often accused the CPDM regime of plotting to destabilize the party. But late last year, the party leadership faltered, they committed two serious faults, that gave the CPDM regime, and especially the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, the ammunitions to deal with Kamto and the MRC Party.
The Standoff Between MINAT Boss And MRC
The Mentor News in an analysis three months ago, stated that there was an imminent clash between the MRC and the the boss of the Ministry of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, related to the two major issues that the MRC leadership poorly handled late last year, giving the CPDM regime ammunitions to fight them. It was certain, that with the CDPM regime having been provided ammunitions by the MRC Directorate, the regime, especially the MINAT Boss, Atanga Nji, would not miss that opportunity, to use the ammunition against them.
Minister Atanga Nji recently launched the first salvo, when he declared that he did not recognize the Extraordinary Convention of MRC that held on December 21, 2025. The MRC denounced the minister’s declaration. But it was certain to Kamto and the MRC that, the wind was blowing against them, considering the faults that the party leadership committed in late 2025,, that gave the CPDM regime ammunitions to use against them. Kamto thought it smart to quit, than stay and be floored.
The First Of The Two Major Issues That The MRC Directorate Poorly Handled Last Year.
In this article, The Mentor will treat the first of the two wrongs that the MRC leadership committed last year, which has today pushed Kamto to resign.
The Background
MRC at its Ordinary National Convention that held in Yaounde in December 2023, designated its National President, Prof Maurice Kamto, as its candidate for the 2025 presidential election. But since MRC boycotted the last legislative and municipal elections that jointly held on February 9, 2020, the party was neither represented at the National Assembly, nor in any municipal council. The Electoral Code as modified in 2012, demanded that for any political party to qualify to give investiture to a candidate, at the presidential election, it must be represented either in parliament or in a municipal council. So though MRC designated its leader, Maurice Kamto, as its presidential candidate, it could not give him investiture to be a candidate at the 2025 presidential election. The only alternative to Kamto to be presidential candidate was, either to run as an independent candidate, or move to another political party that could accept to give him investiture.
Suffice to say in June 2025, Maurice Kamto, at least on paper, resigned from MRC, to permit him move over to the MANIDEM Party of Anicet Georges Ekane, in a bid to get the investiture of the party, to be candidate at the October 12, 2025 presidential election. This followed a deal that was struck in Douala by the then MANIDEM leader, Anicet Ekane, and the President of FCC, Hon Jean Miichel Nintcheu, a trusted ally of Maurice Kamto.
It should be noted that the Electoral Code insists that the presidential candidate of a political party, has to be a militant of that party, and show proof of that. So Kamto had to resign from MRC, at least on paper, move to MANIDEM, and register as a militant of that party.
Unfortunately, the candidacy of Maurice Kamto for the 2025 presidential election, was rejected by Elections Cameroon (ELECAM), and finally by the Constitutional Council on August 5, 2025, on the pretext that there were multiple candidacies from the MANIDEM Party. It was a very controversial decision. Suffice to say that Maurice Kamto formally left MANIDEM on September 11, 2025 and returned to the MRC Party.
Extraordinary Convention Was Not Convened When Kamto Resigned From MRC In June 2025
It should be noted that during the period that Prof Maurice Kamto was supposedly out of MRC, or better still, when he was a ‘militant’ of MANIDEM, the MRC Party was headed by Mamadou Yacouba (Mota), the 1st Vice President of the party, who also became the Interim President. It should as well be noted that Article 68 (2) of the Internal Regulation of MRC, states that if the National President of the party resigns, the Directorate of the party has to meet and formally take note of the resignation, and that within 30 days after the resignation, the Directorate has to convene an Extraordinary Convention of the party, to elect a new National President. The Convention has to hold latest 60 days after it is convened.
When Maurice Kamto resigned from MRC in June 2025 and moved over to MANIDEM, the Directorate of the MRC met and declared that it had taken note of the resignation, but did not convene the Extraordinary Convention to elect a new President. No explanation was given for that. The failure by the Directorate to convene the Convention was a violation of the text of the party. It was clear that the Directorate of MRC was playing games to wait for Kamto to return.
Another Flagrant Violation Of The Constitution Of MRC
Meanwhile, as soon as Prof Maurice Kamto formally returned to MRC in September 2025, his loyalists who were running the party during his absence, swung into action to organize an Extraordinary Convention of the party, with the main agenda being to re-elect him to the post of National President of the party. But the decision by the loyalists in the Directorate of MRC, to see that Maurice Kamto got back the post of National President of MRC at all cost, was not a unanimous decision in the party’s Directorate. Criticisms were being within the party, though only one person then was courageous to show his face. That was Dr Okala Ebode Joseph Thierry, a founding member of the MRC, and member of the Directorate. It should be noted that Okala Ebode was at one time the Deputy Treasurer of the MRC, and later National Secretary for Mobilization.
The issue which Dr Okala Ebode raised, had to do with Article 29 of the Constitution of MRC which clearly states that any person that joins the party, must militate in the party for an uninterrupted period of 3 years, before he can qualify to run for a high post in the party. Okala Ebode argued that since Maurice Kamto resigned from MRC in June 2025 and went to another party, he returned to MRC in September 2025 as a new militant, and thus must wait for three years, before running for the post of National President of the party. Okala Ebode apparently wanted to be candidate for the post of National President of the MRC. That of course was his right. But Kamto’s loyalists in the Directorate turned very hostile against him. The matter became very heated in MRC, with Kamto loyalist accusing Okala Ebode of having betrayed Kamto, while Ebode insisted that he was not against a particular person, but rather against the mafia to flagrantly violate the Constitution of the party to please or favour Kamto.
Okala Ebode Dismissed From MRC
But rather than try to resolve the dispute inside the party, the loyalists in the Directorate of the MRC resorted to intimidation and blackmail against Okala Ebode. Suffice to say that in November 2025, the Directorate of the MRC sacked Okala Ebode from the party. He was accused of betrayal. Without any surprise, Kamto’s loyalists alleged that Okala Ebode was being sponsored by the regime, to hijack or destabilize the party. Okala Ebode, a founding member of MRC strongly protested against the decision to dismiss him from party, simply because he stood up to protect the party’s Constitution, or for the respect of the Constitution off the party.
The decision to fire Okala Ebode was another political miscalculation by Kamto’s loyalists in the MRC Directorate, as he went running his mouth all over the place against the way the party was being managed, with Maurice Kamto posing as a demi god, and with the Constitution of the party being flagrantly violated with impunity to please him, and with anybody who dares to criticize the management of the party by Kamto being branded as an enemy and fired from the party, and so on.
CPDM Bigwig Calls On Kamto To Respect His Part’s Constitution
Meanwhile, one of the barons of the CPDM regime, Gregoire Owona, Deputy Secretary General of the ruling CPDM Party and member of Government, ridiculed Maurice Kamto in a post on social media, when the conflict between the Directorate of MRC and one of its members, Dr Okala Ebode Joseph Thierry, escalated. Gregoire Owona, known to be active on social media, in the post called on Maurice Kamto who clearly wanted to be candidate for re-election to the post of National President of MRC, to respect the Constitution of his own party (MRC), and wait for three years to become eligible. Gregoire Owona’s post, even though he did it as an individual, was an indication that the CPDM regime was closing watching how the MRC Directorate or leadership was flagrantly violating the Constitution of the party. The MRC Directorate had in fact given the CPDM regime, ‘ammunitions’ to fight Kamto and the party.
MINAT Has The Updated Files Of All Legalized Political Parties
It should be noted that the Ministry of Territorial Administration has the files of all legalized political parties in the country. Documents in each file include among other things the Constitution of the party. Whenever a party modifies its Constitution, a copy of the modified or updated document is presented to MINAT, clearly stating the modification made, and the legality of the process as contained in the Constitution. The party’s file in the ministry is thus updated.
So whenever MINAT receives a complaint that the President or the Executive Committee of a political party has violated an Article or Section in the party’s Constitution, it is easy for the ministry to verify. Article 29 of the Constitution of MRC, states that any new militant must militate for at least three uninterrupted years in party before he qualifies to run for a high post in the party, The MRC Directorate cannot say the party’s National Council gave Maurice Kamto an authorization that covered him , and MINAT accepts, except in the party’s Constitution, it is clearly stated that the National Council of MRC has that power.
