SDF says joining coalition to unseat Biya not priority.

Quizzed Saturday February 17 at a National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting on whether the SDF was willing to join any coalition, the National Chairman, Hon Osih Joshua, was unequivocal. 

Osih told reporters that the SDF party is rather interested in pushing for an inclusive political transition to usher the country out of the current CPDM-led regime. 

The 2018 presidential candidate told reporters that the SDF is instead interested in an inclusive political transition for the general good citizens and not the benefit of an individual.  

“The SDF has been able to organise coalitions since 1990…we have also been part of coalitions in the past. However, we sincerely believe that where Cameroon stands today, we need to seriously work towards implementing or pushing an agenda for a political transition in Cameroon that is inclusive to all the actors…so, we are for winning Cameroon and not for a winning individual,” Osih stated. 

The SDF National Chairman told newsmen that Cameroon is today at a turning point. 

He said the SDF is “looking forward to putting proposals on the table that can be as inclusive as possible to usher our country towards a political transition”.

‘Discussions about coalition ill-timed’

The Bureau member at the National Assembly said discussions around an opposition coalition are ill-timed and out of place.

He told reporters that: “It is premature and a little bit out of topic today to be dragging the SDF, which is a serious party into discussing coalition options whereas those options today are not the priority of our party”.

Osih said SDF remains open to work with all Cameroonians to achieve political transition.

“…we are closing absolutely no door. We are putting in place a very solid left front in Cameroon with all ideologically left-thinking parties. We have already concluded a framework with the major trade unions in Cameroon that represent nearly 78% of all workers in Cameroon and the doors are still open for more trade unions to join us,” Osih said. 

SDF pushing for inclusive transition 

Asked of the approach to be implemented to achieve a political transition which the SDF is fronting, Osih was blunt. He said the approach has to be largely “inclusive”.

“When you are going into a political transition, you cannot exclude part of the political actors. You need to take all the political actors into consideration. Everybody must agree. There must be a broad-based consensus and that is a very difficult task. It has nothing to do with a political coalition going to win an election. It has to do with agreeing to changing the rules, so that we can sit together and assess where we are and define new rules to move on. So, it is a whole different ball game,” he said. 

But who are the members of the coalition?

The need for an opposition coalition to offer a strong challenge to the Biya regime, it should be said, was birthed at the elective convention of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement, MRC, held October 2023 in Yaounde.

The leader of the MRC, Prof Maurice Kamto, has since been cited as likely to lead the nascent movement. 

However, recent developments suggest secret negotiations are ongoing among the opposition political class for another possible coalition to be headed by another political leader. 

Previous attempts at opposition alliances fell apart due to infighting and regional differences. 

However, the new coalition in gestation will be tested when members come together to pick a candidate for the 2025 presidential election.

When well-known anti-Biya critic and Member of Parliament, Hon Jean Michel Nintcheu, who leads his newly created Front for Change in Cameroon, FCC, mounted the rostrum during the convention.

He immediately called on opposition parties to rally behind Kamto as their candidate of choice at the forthcoming presidential election.

The outspoken politician expressed concerns about the country's political and social situation, criticising the SDF leadership and its lack of response to the Anglophone crisis. 

Hon Nintcheu asserted that the current regime is on the verge of collapsing before calling for support for the candidacy of Kamto, whom he likened to the late Ni John Fru Ndi in the 90s.

Speaking on the choice of Kamto as potential leader of the coalition, Hon Nintcheu recalled that: “The only time an opposition candidate has won a presidential election was in October 1992, when the Union for Change candidate, Ni John Fru Ndi stole victory from President Biya. Chairman Ni John Fru Ndi was nominated as the candidate of the Union for Change before being invested by the political party he chaired”.

He said: “I have the honor and privilege of indicating here in this room that I was one of the major players in this move as president of Labour Movement, RAP party. How could I forget, President, as a young university professor at the time, that you played an important role in the dynamics of the Union for Change, taking an enormous risk for your future academic career, which seemed all mapped out. I still remember your memorable speech at the Union for Change candidate's campaign rally at the Bafoussam municipal stadium. It's right and proper that you should benefit today from a return of the elevator, as we say trivially”.

Nintcheu then insisted that members of the coalition must avoid the mistakes of 2004 “which remains for me the most traumatic experience of my political commitment!”

He recalled that: “In 2004, the political parties formed a coalition with a view to the presidential election. This coalition was well structured, with branches in several regions of the country. As far as the Littoral region was concerned, meetings were held in my offices, which were transformed for the occasion into a veritable Headquarters! We organised marches, pounded the pavement for the computerization of the electoral roll, and swallowed huge quantities of tear gas. My friend Cyrille Sam Baka won't deny it! Large rallies presided over by coalition leaders were organised in several major cities. The people were galvanised and had regained their confidence! But as soon as the electoral process was convened, this beautiful edifice collapsed like a pack of cards!”.

The lawmaker regretted that: “The leaders, driven by their oversized egos, were unable to agree. The name of Akame Foumou was even put forward as a consensus candidate! Finally, the late Dr Adamou Ndam and Ni John Fru each filed their own candidacy”.

“No, we must not repeat the mistakes of that cursed year! We must reverse the paradigm; appoint our torchbearer and build momentum around him!” Nintcheu pleaded.