2025 presidential: CPDM regime on projects offensive to seduce voters!.

Over five years since that campaign speech, during which he made promises on issues affecting the polity, the election fever, observers are saying, has begun to furtively gain steam again. 

While the posture of the man of November 6, 1982, vis-à-vis the next presidential poll remains coded, where there is some semblance of congruence in analyses is that the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement, CPDM, party is on a silent projects offensive to seduce voters.

It is a package which many say, is becoming recurrent with a mix of public service, governance responsibility and political rhetoric to maintain the status quo at the helm of State. 

For some, as it stands, whether the presidential election takes place sometime this year or at the statutory time of October 2025, Biya and his supporters, thanks to “The Force of Experience maxim, are silently working the political mill to retain another mandate.

As it has been his tradition, major pronouncements in the September 29, 2018, Maroua campaign speech, the December 31, 2022, message to the nation and that of December 31, 2023, that ushered the nation into 2024, contained messages intertwined with the CPDM agenda for the next presidential election and government’s responsibility to serve the citizenry.

From a purely political perspective, pundits are saying the pressure and vivacity with which members of government and CPDM barons have been crisscrossing different geopolitical zones in the last few months speak volumes. 

What is trending in all these moves is that either it is the commissioning of projects long promised or the laying of groundworks for such projects to effectively takeoff. 

In all of this, the Scribe of the CPDM Central Committee, Jean Nkuete, many are concurring, has been appearing on the scene with a veiled message of readiness for elections without leaving anything to chance.

Like in 2023, analysts say, they expect ministers to make strategic projects-induced visits to key geopolitical zones in the guise of boosting public service delivery, whereas in effect, they are cementing the groundwork for the CPDM for the next presidential election. 

Some political watchers say it is even an agenda that could favour the ruling party, whether President Biya decides to seek another mandate or the party presents some other person to supporters whenever the presidential poll is announced.

Energy projects for Northern Regions

On September 29, 2018, Biya told the people of the Northern Regions that “in the area of energy, the old hydroelectric dams will be upgraded. Others will be commissioned. Solar facilities, which are easier to build, will supplement them. Therefore, you will have the energy that is indispensable for rural electrification and for running your industries”.

That it took five years for these projects to see the light of day, analysts say, is not a coincidence. It was only last year that the Minister of Water and Energy Resources, Gaston Eloundou Essomba, commissioned the facilities that are already serving the population.

Eloundou Essomba inaugurated the over 30 Megawatts capacity solar plants in Guider and Maroua, insisting that it was in fulfilment of the Head of State’s promise to the Northern Regions. 

Yet, observers are seeing beyond these footprints of campaigns already afoot to woo people to either renew Biya’s mandate or vote for a CPDM candidate sometime this year or in October 2025.

East Region benefits from Lomp Pangar Dam project

Still in the spirit of political clouds already gathering, this January, electricity from the foot plant of the Lomp Pangar Hydroelectric Dam, was connected to the homes of people in Bertoua, Ambong Mbang and Belabo. 

While there is already so much political noise about the feat, the Electricity Development Corporation, EDC, handling the project, has also cited President Biya as having instructed that an additional scheme to light up 150 villages in the East Region is made real this year. 

This too, for many, is a race against time to easily campaign for another seven-year mandate for President Biya or the ruling CPDM.

Special Potable Water Project Supply Scheme

Another huge government project which many have qualified the intensity of works related to it in recent times is the Special Potable Water Project Supply Scheme known by its French acronym, PAEP. 

It targets boosting water supply to nine cities; among them Maroua, Garoua, Garoua-Boulai, Yabassi and Dschang.

The Minister of Water and Energy Resources, Gaston Eloundou Essomba, launched Phase II of the 63 billion FCFA project in Maroua, on September 20, 2023. 

Like with other huge projects, he reminded the population that it was in fulfilment of a promise made by the Head of State. 

Despite such declaration, analysts have also catalogued this into the CPDM’s campaign kitty for the next presidential poll.

The political intonation of the project, some believe, justifies its launching in yet another grandiose ceremony in Garoua-Boulai, Lom and Djerem Division of the East Region, on August 28, 2023.

Beyond the 36 months span of the project, those who read extra meaning into it and its marketing to the population of different geopolitical zones, say campaigns for the next presidential poll are already on.

Using more water, electricity projects for political spinoffs

Jammed in a narrative of doing what was already supposed to have been done and seeking political gratification in return, the CPDM regime has in addition to PAEP, other huge projects in the potable water supply and electricity sectors on which, many say it is counting to consolidate power.

Perhaps, Biya did not lose sight of this when on December 31, 2023, he told compatriots that: “The Project to Supply Drinking Water to the City of Yaounde and its environs from the River Sanaga is virtually completed. Its imminent commissioning will help to substantially reduce the drinking water deficit in the city of Yaounde”.

There are already changes in this regard in several neighbourhoods of the capital city, Yaounde. With the positive appraisal from citizens, many see the CPDM sweeping votes into its basket, thanks to this project.

However, given that politics and promises are like children from the same womb, the President also announced last December 31, that: “Studies on the Project to Supply Drinking Water to the City of Douala and its environs are well advanced. In the long term, the city will be supplied with an additional 400 thousand cubic metres of water daily”.

The Head of State, in what has remained in the psyche of some as the outplay of a CPDM campaign script, declared that: “The requisite efforts will continue to be deployed to rehabilitate and extend the distribution networks of this precious resource in our towns and villages to make it more accessible to households”. 

Biya also did not fail to blow his trumpet in reminding the citizenry that: “Major strides were also made in the electricity sector to reduce our country’s energy deficit. About 44 thousand solar panels have been installed in the three Northern Regions, covering 40% of electricity needs in the said Regions”.

He announced the commissioning of the “420-megawatt Nachtigal Dam in the coming days”, before promising that: “Several other hydropower facility projects are also planned or being launched. These include the Kikot, Minkouma, Grand Eweng and Bini à Warak dams”.

Road priority list & strategic political positioning

In the juxtaposition of the nation’s road problem, the cards have also been calling politically for Biya. 

He has outlined a number of projects for this year, in addition to others which funding had long been secured, living observers with the impression that campaigns for the next election in the road sector have already been won.

Besides talking about the tarring and rehabilitation of 700 kilometers of roads in 2023, Biya mentioned key projects in strategic geopolitical zones as either ongoing or will be constructed this year. 

In the Centre Region, he was particular about the Lékié loop while in the South West Region, he mentioned for the second consecutive year, the Kumba-Ekondo-Titi road. 

Still in the South West Region, the Loum-Bangem road that has been a major cry of the people of Kupe-Muanenguba, has also been budgeted for this year.

In the North West Region, where works on the long awaited Bamenda Ring Road have also started, the President added to it the Babadjou-Bamenda road also under construction.

In the President’s South Region, wherein he promised the tarring of the Ebolowa-Kribi-Akom II road, during the Ebolowa Agro-Pastoral show in 2010, close to 14 years ago, much is being talked about the same project now. This too, it is being said, is another assurance with political benefits in sight.

Talking about the project last December, Biya, said, “negotiations with donors, which for long were stalled by environmental issues, are finally being concluded. All the requisite measures will be taken to ensure that the construction of this road, so eagerly awaited by the populations concerned, effectively starts in 2024”.

Firm instructions on major roads in political fief

In the Northern Regions, where the President has always had most of his votes, firm instructions for the rehabilitation and tarring of some roads have also been put in the brackets of politicking by political scientists. 

These roads are: Ngaoundere-Garoua road, Mora-Dabanga-Kousseri road among others.

While launching this year’s budget in Maroua on January 17, which again has been described as a subtle political choice of place, Finance Minister, Louis Paul Motaze, gave a detailed look of road projects for the Far North Region.

He talked of the construction of a bridge over the River Logone and extensions leading to Bongor in Chad and Yagoua in Cameroon. 

He also cited the rehabilitation of the Magada-Guidiguis-Yagoua road, works on the Maroua-Bogo-Pous stretch and rehabilitation of Maroua-Moutourwa road among others.

In the Littoral and West Region, Biya also has a special eye on the Edea-Kribi and Douala-Bafoussam roads. 

In addition, he told compatriots as 2024 opened, that works to improve the urban road network of the towns of Maroua and Ngaoundere will “extend to other regional headquarters”.

Even the challenging Douala-Yaounde motorway project that has been on for years, is still being touted among projects the CPDM has not given up on in using for political marketing. 

Biya, despite complications in trying to make gains in this light, said: “Motorway projects will not be left out during the coming year with, particularly, the launching of the construction of the urban section of the Yaounde-Nsimalen motorway and that of Phase II of the Yaounde-Douala motorway”.

Creation of new universities 

In the education sector, the creation of three new universities in Ebolowa, South Region; Bertoua, East Region and Garoua in the North Region, are also being counted among CPDM’s campaign antics. 

Biya announced them in his end-of-year speech to the nation on December 31, 2021. In January of 2022, he decreed the institutions, which have already taken off. This too, analysts say, is another building block in the President’s points to seek another mandate.

Promise to establish ID cards within 48 hours

Another social issue that has remained critical for years in the country is the terrible experiences citizens go through to get the National Identity Card.

Across decades, it has been a huge tool during elections, with especially the ruling CPDM helping citizens to get same.

But just when getting the document has further worsened, an approval has been given for the document to become biometric and be established within 48 hours. 

The Delegate General for National Security, DGSN, Martin Mbarga Nguele, disclosed the information on September 29, 2023, while launching the Littoral Centre for the Issuance of Passports.

Biya, the DGSN boss said on that occasion, had approved a new system that will make it possible for citizens to get their ID Cards established within 48 hours. 

Given experiences in past elections, the CPDM, many are saying, would use the announcement to further court voters.

The CPDM party is pictured as working to double down on this with the passport too that has since gone biometric and is now established within almost two days.

Major mining projects

If there is another thing the regime would be counting on to bolster its basket of political positives, the major mining projects of the last two years are among. 

As last year ended, Biya gave a synopsis of the political potential of such by saying: “I am delighted that the mining projects I announced last year for the development of the Kribi-Lobé, Bipindi-Grand Zambi and Mbalam-Nabeba iron ore deposits have been launched”.

Reconstruction of troubled Regions

The Presidential reconstruction plans for the troubled North West, South West and Far North Regions, others are also adding, will feature in the campaign menu of the CPDM. 

After all, Biya said on December 31, 2023, that situation in these Regions “has improved significantly. It is now possible to calmly implement the reconstruction and development plans for the said Regions”.

With this quaint record, many say Biya already has his speech for the next election ready, even if others with ambition to challenge him are still gerrymandering to get popular opposition endorsement.