Cameroon needs president who’ s present 24/7 -Dr Fomunyoh Christopher.

The United States-based governance consultant made the comments recently in an explosive interview granted the media.

His comments came in the wake of the recent resignation of Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary and the declared breakaway from CPDM alliance, by Minister Bello Bouba’s NUDP party.

Coming months to the yet-to-be convened Presidential election, in which President Biya is likely to seek reelection, Dr Fomunyoh didn’t have kind words for him.

Telling Biya ‘straight to his face’, Dr Fomunyoh was categorical that Cameroon deserves and urgently needs better than what he has given or what Cameroonians know he is capable of giving.

Commenting on the recent wave of resignations from the Biya regime, Dr Fomunyoh, who has been promoting good governance in parts of the globe, described the developments as significant to Cameroon’s future.

Fomunyoh, who has led election observer missions to African countries and beyond, said: “I believe these resignations are very significant. I consider them very important for at least three reasons; one is that these cabinet ministers who have worked for decades in the current government and who understand the failures of the government to meet the expectations of the Cameroonian people are also now willing to say it so very publicly”. 

“Secondly, these ministers do come from the northern part of the country, which is an important electorate which constitutes well over 30% of the electorate of Cameroon. And if that electorate that has previously voted for the ruling party were to be split, it will make it extremely difficult for the ruling party to have its way as it has done in the past,” he said. 

He added that: “Thirdly, I believe these resignations and the declarations from the ministers also coincide with a generalised criticism of the performance of the CPDM and the fact that Biya, in 43 years, has not been able to accomplish a lot that Cameroonians should be proud of…so a combination of these three points makes me realise how significant these developments are”.

Reacting to a recent outing of political activist, Aboubakar Ousmane Mey, in which he urged Biya’s nuclear family to advise him to step down before it’s too late, Dr Fomunyoh noted: “I do know Aboubakar Ousmane Mey very well. We have communicated in the past and he is someone who has been very determined to make a contribution to Cameroon’s future. Of course, what is coming out of the northerners today is something that has been repeated by Cameroonians in other parts of the country. Let’s not forget that the North West and South West Regions are in turmoil for the past eight years; because the populations at the grassroots level have been extremely dissatisfied with how they are being treated by the Yaounde government”.

He cited recent agitations in Biya’s South Region, which saw several disgruntled people taking to the streets to demonstrate their frustrations. 

“So, you have this feeling that there is a generalised sense of unease and disagreement about the balance sheet of the ruling party…northerners, who in the past, have always been silent and quiet, are finally joining the chorus of what other Cameroonians have also been singing. And I think, it’s that cumulative effect that may bring about meaningful change in our country in 2025,” Dr Fomunyoh noted.

Sincerity of Tchiroma, others

Commenting on worries that the current wave of defections by northerners appear to be some sort of distraction as the country looks forward to the October Presidential election, Dr Fomunyoh shared a contrary view.

“I think Cameroonians are very informed. They are politically savvy. Within the next three and a half months, they should be able to make the conclusion on whether these individuals are sincere or not, but I must add that as an adult, as someone who got political capital, you don’t put your reputation on the line just to play second fiddle to a regime that wants to use you,” he noted. 

“These personalities who have been cabinet ministers are professionals by their own rights…Issa Tchiroma is an engineer by profession…I don’t see how someone of that calibre, irrespective of their political leanings, will put their reputation and their career on the line at this point in time when Cameroonians are really thirsty for change,” he argued.

Dr Fomunyoh continued: “There are certain things that are so obvious that everyone can feel and see- the desire for change across the entire country. There is nothing that can rationalise or justify someone who is 93 years old, and who has been in power for 43 years and wants another seven-year term. Even people within the ruling party know that is doesn’t make sense in today’s Cameroon, in today’s Africa and across the globe. It doesn’t make sense, especially given how fast pace developments are happening across the globe. Cameroon needs a President who will be present 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. We can’t entrust that responsibility in the hands of someone no one can even hire to be his/her driver or cook…I think its really unbelievable that someone who is patriotic will want to entrust his/her future into the hands of a 93-year-old great, grandfather”.

Possible coalition…

Quizzed on whether change in Cameroon is possible through the ballot box, Dr Fomunyoh was affirmative.

He said as a committed democrat, “if you believe in democracy, then you believe in peaceful processes that can lead to meaningful change and that you will never advocate violence”.

“…everyone’s hope is that the conditions be created such that citizens can express themselves freely, through the ballot process…that political parties shouldn’t be harassed. They should be allowed to form alliances, which is a normal process in every political society,” he added.

Dr Fomunyoh said his hope is that nobody in the position of authority should tinker with the process or try to negatively influence the process in a way that can provoke citizens to opt out of peaceful participation.

On the opposition creating a coalition to flush out the Biya regime, Dr Fomunyoh was blunt that it remains the only way out.

“In countries where those coalitions have been organised…in Senegal for example, there was a huge coalition that supported the current government of President Faye and Prime Minister Sonko. In other countries, those coalitions have helped to galvanise people and to make the electoral process more competitive,” he said.

He was however quick to regret that “the unfortunate thing in Cameroon is that our electoral system doesn’t require a majority vote- 50% plus one. It requires plurality. So, if you have 20 candidates running, you could find a candidate winning the election with 15% of the votes, if that is the candidate who has the highest number of votes”.

“So, it is extremely difficult to have the legitimacy to be able to govern because 80% of the population would have voted for other candidates. And so, these are some of the issues which political parties have raised with regard to our electoral code. If you look at that, you can only advise political parties to know that there are stronger when there come together,” he concluded.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3498 of Wednesday July 09, 2025