Why Catholic Bishops, Are Opposed To The Possible Candidacy Of President Biya, For The 2025 Presidential Election

Some members of the regime and their hired agents, have failed to silent outspoken Bishops with intimidation, blackmail and defamation

Those CPDM elite today accusing Bishops of involvement in politics, were silent yesterday, when Mgr JEAN ZOA was acting as if he was a member of the CPDM Central Committee.

Despite blackmail, threats of ‘Moulinex’, defamation and intimidation against them by some overzealous member of the regime, an increasing number of Catholic Bishops, have on behalf of the downtrodden and voiceless masses, been coming out to publicly denounce the idea or possibility that the 92 year President Biya, who has been in power for 42 years, could run for another mandate at the 2025 presidential election. The Bishops like most Cameroonians, are the more disgusted especially as ordinary Cameroonians are wallowing or dying in misery, because of the PERSISTENT BAD GOVERNANCE by the Biya regime over the years. So, the Bishops,

Meanwhile, the outspoken Bishops are also being accused by some overzealous CPDM elite, of involvement  in politics, simply  because they expressed their opinion that is against the possible candidacy of  the 92 year old President Biya, who has been in power for as long as 42 years. But these same CPDM elite saw nothing wrong in the past, when the then Metropolitan Archbishop of Yaounde, Mgr Jean Zoa (now of blessed memory), was acting as if was a member of the Central Committee of the CPDM.

Accusation Of Insurrection

Some of the hired agents, have even gone to the extent of accusing the Bishops of insurrection, simply for daring to protest against the candidacy of the 92 years old President Biya, who has been in power for 42 years.  But even that still has not scared the outspoken Bishops to go silent. For one thing too, besides the fact that the Biya regime has very little to show for the 42 years in power because of bad governance, the Bishops like other Cameroonians, have observed in the last couple of years, that due to his much advanced age, that has naturally weighed heavily on the President’s physique, the President has lost control of the government or his collaborators. Yet, the same members of Government are talking of another mandate of seven years, for the 92 year old President Biya.  A real provocation or insult to the Cameroonian people!

The Outspoken Archbishop Kleda

Meanwhile, the outspoken Metropolitan Archbishop of Douala, Samuel Kleda, came out first among Catholic priests, on the issue of President Biya’s candidacy for the 2025 presidential election. In an interview he granted ‘Radio France Internationale’, RFI,  Mgr Kleda minced no words, in responding to a question on the  possibility of the candidature of the 92 year old, President Biya, for the 2025 presidential election, that it is NOR REALISTIC. Kleda asserted that we are all human beings created by God, and also that all human beings are mortals. He stressed the fact we will all leave this world, and that there is no miracle that anybody can perform to avoid that or death. What Mgr Kleda meant was that at 92 years, one should instead be very thankful to God for having given him such a long life, which many people do not attain.  That at the very advanced age of 92, one is supposed to be having a good rest, and preparing for his eventual departure from this world, instead of hanging on to power as if that will stop his departure from this world when God so decides, or as if there is no other Cameroonian that can replace him.

Bishop Of Yagoua, Far North Region

The Bishop of Yagoua in the Far North Region, Yaouda Hourgo, in a recent sermon, asserted that Cameroonians have suffered so much and for too long under the Biya regime’s bad governance. He said there is no type of suffering that Cameroonians have not faced. Mgr Yaouda Hourgo asserted that Cameroonians are thus desperate for change, to liberate themselves and their country from the Biya regime that has taken them hostage.  The Bishop said at the much advanced age of 92, no human being can pretend that he can still be active as when he was much younger, for the force or stamina is no longer there. “You cannot ask a 92 year man to walk for a mile, or give him a cutlass to go and clear a farm. Let’s be honest to ourselves”.  The Bishop reiterate that the Cameroonian people are desperate for change, and said even if it is the devil to takeover power from the Biya regime in Cameroon, let the devil better takeover, and then we see  later  what to do.

Bishop Of Ngaoundere Takes On Minister Atanga Nji

The Bishop of Ngaoundere, Mgr Emmanuel Abbo, has on his part, taken on the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, and the Biya Government in general, for subjecting Cameroonians to their vicious politics of intimidation and suppression, whereas the people are simply asking for their rights or for what they are rightly due from the State.  Though the Bishop did not mention Atanga Nji by name, he however left no one in doubt when he talked of Moulinex (blender).  He questioned the people that will be there for the Biya government to govern, when they would have grinded or crushed all Cameroonians in the moulinex. “You don’t intimidate your people, when above all they only ask to also eat. You want that some people should come from the sky to tell you that the people have been suffocating?”, the Bishop of Ngaoundere questioned.

  Bishop Of Bafoussam And Others

Meanwhile the Bishop of Bafoussam, Paul Lontsie – Keune, in an end -or – year message to the faithful of the Bafoussam Diocese, also stressed on the great importance of this year’s presidential election in Cameroon. He urged that all those that will vote at the 2025 presidential election, to strive to ensure that their individual choice is neither a choice of complacency nor convenience. He said Cameroon is at a decisive moment in its history.

A number of Catholic Priests in the West Region of Cameroon have also come out in opposition to the possible candidature of the 92 year old President Biya, for the 2025 presidential election. For example, in a homily on Sunday, January 5, 2025, the Parish Priest of Saint Mathias Parish Foto in the Menoua Division, Father Albert Legrand, stressed the importance of change in a society or country. Using the game of football to put through his message, the Priest said when a player gets old, he retires. He added that even when a player, whether it is a world star like Kylian Mbappe, gets tired during a match, he is replaced.

Alleged Contrary Position By Bishop of Bafia

Meanwhile, following the increasing number of Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church in Cameroon, that have been making declarations, against the very controversial idea that the 92 year old President Biya, should again be a candidate at the 2025 presidential election, some unscrupulous fellows who are definitely supporters of the regime, faked a declaration in the name of the Bishop of Bafia, Mgr Emmanuel Dassi Youfang, to try to counter what the other Bishops have said. The purported release had the picture of the Bishop of Bafia, Emmanuel Dassi Youfang, in the background.

In the purported declaration circulated on social media and also carried by some traditional media organs in Yaounde, the Bishop of Bafia, Mgr Emmanuel Dassi Youfang, was alleged to had called on all Cameroonians to respect the rights of each Cameroonian to be candidate in the presidential election, as long as his candidacy is in respect of the conditions set out in the country’s Constitution.

It should be noted that the irrational argument of members of the Biya regime, is that the Constitution which the same regime imposed on the people in 1996, does not fix a maximum age limit for any Cameroonian to be candidate at the presidential election. So to them, there is nothing wrong with a President at a much advanced age of 92, and who has been in power for 42 years, to still be a candidate for another seven year mandate.

“Stop the noise making which does not honour us”, the Bishop of Bafia in the Centre Region, was alleged to had cautioned his colleagues (Bishops). This fake message was definitely directed against Catholic  Bishops like Mgr Samuel Kleda, and others that are openly opposed to the idea of the  92 years old President Biya, who has  being in power for over four decades, being  a candidate at the 2025 presidential election.

Fake News

However in a communiqué issued on January 2, 2025, the Director of Communication at the Bafia Diocese in the Centre Region, Father Jean Leonel Nkoa Nkolo, referred to the above alleged message by the Bishop of Bafia, Emmanuel Dassi Youfang, as “Fake News”. The Director of Communication at the Bafia Diocese was clear in his communiqué on the purported release that he termed, Fake News. “Le Diocese de Bafia denounce formellement ces fake news, et precise que Mgr Emmanuel Dassi Youfang n’est pas l’auteur de ces declaration”, that is, “The Diocese of Bafia formally denounce this fake news, and precise that Mgr Emmanuel Dassi Youfang is not the author of those declarations”.

Bishop Of Bafang

Meanwhile, one of the latest outings by members of the clergy on the issue of the 2025 presidential election, has been by the Bishop of Bafang, Mgr Abraham Kome, titled: “Mon Point De Vue Face A La Situation Politique Dans Notre Pays”, that is, “My Point Of View In The Face Of Political Situation In our Country”. The Bishop who did not focus on the issue of President Biya’ age, deplored the fact that chaos has been on the rise in the country for quite sometimes now, and that the effects of these chaos are easily visible in the towns and villages. Mgr Kome said the bulk of the responsibility or blame for the chaos goes to the weakness of governmental mechanism, manned by elite with selfish interests, and who don’t want to ever leave.

As regards national elections, Mgr Kome regretted that up till today, the powers –that – be has refused to give to the country, an Electoral System that can guarantee the holding of free, fair and transparent elections, and  enable the people to democratically elect their  leaders,

Mgr Samuel Kleda Again

Speaking to reporters, on the sidelines of the 48^th annual seminar of the Bishops of Cameroon, that opened in Buea, Southwest Region, on January 7, 2025, the Archbishop of Douala, Mgr Samuel Kleda, still stressed on the importance of the 2025 presidential election in Cameroon. He called on Cameroonians of voting age, that have not yet inscribed their names on the voters’ register, to do so, in order to be able to perform their civic responsibility when the time comes.  Mgr Kleda urged Cameroonians to while at the polls vote not only for their own good, but for the interest or good of the country as well.