October poll: CPDM against CPDM over Biya’s candidature!.

The clash of opinions, comments and analysis from within the party and government, has left many dazzled. Political analysts say the situation across the board now leaves officials, most of whom are often referred to as Biya’s creatures, on each other’s throat. 

While Biya has stayed out of public view with no signal on what he had said in July 2022, that when the time comes, he will decide whether to retire from politics or continue, his government and party are viewed to be on shaky ground. 

Others say the fight from within and without, is mostly among men who want to proof they have the President’s ears and eyes.

Characters in the theatrics are split between those preparing the ground for Biya’s campaign and those still cautiously waiting for instructions from him on what to do. 

These include the Minister of State, Secretary General at the Presidency of the Republic, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh; Minister of State, Minister of Higher Education, Prof Jacques Fame Ndongo also Communication Secretary of the CPDM.

The Minister of Communication, who also doubles as the mouthpiece of the government, Rene Emmanuel Sadi, is also in the fraternity of those reading Biya’s position differently vis-à-vis the October poll. The Secretary General of the Central Committee of the CPDM, Jean Nkuete, is also in the fray. 

Former Public Service and Administrative Reform Minister, Michel Ange Angouing, is yet another character whose declarations on what is going on, pundits say, continues to send out a message of confusion in the President’s camp.

When charity begins abroad 

Amid the consternation on the varied declarations from CPDM bigwigs and members of government, what has remained more worrying, analysts say, is the rush to comment on the State of things on foreign media.

Without briefing citizens through the national media, the Minister of Communication, Rene Emmanuel Sadi, rushed to the French media house, Radio France Internationale, RFI, to comment. 

In the RFI interview, he, among other things, maintained that Biya is still in control of government action. 

He however indicated that President Biya’s chances of seeking reelection for another mandate, is 50/50.

While citizens were still digesting the declarations from Minister Rene Sadi, his colleague, Prof Fame Ndongo, jumped into the matter. He too rushed to RFI this time, putting on the cap of CPDM Communication Secretary. 

Prof Fame Ndongo was bold and affirmative that Paul Biya is 100 percent ready to seek re-election. Yet, in the same interview, Fame Ndongo could not say the last time he met President Biya.

The reading from their outings, many say, is faulted on two fronts. The first, some are asserting, is that they left citizens, who are those to vote come October, to talk to a foreign media. Another message from the tit-for-tat outings, it has been assessed, is that government and CPDM party actions are not properly coordinated.

CPDM Scribe sends tacit reply to Ngoh Ngoh

In the face of the Fame Ndongo-Rene Sadi cold war on the possibility of Biya seeking re-election or not, another chapter was playing out at the Unity Palace. 

This had to do with consultations of members of government and CPDM Parliamentarians from all of the country’s ten Regions. 

Ngoh Ngoh conducted the exercise at the Presidency of the Republic, insisting that it was on the instructions of the Head of State, to ramp up preparations and get suggestions on how Biya’s campaign will play out.

The consultations, yet again, left many Cameroonians questioning when CPDM party matters became issues of governance that consultations are conducted at the Presidency. 

Others rather said the discussions ought to have taken place at the CPDM Central Committee headquarters in Yaounde, under the leadership of Jean Nkuete as party scribe.

Real drama is said to have played out on the last day of consultations, on Tuesday, July 8. The Secretary General of the CPDM Central Committee, Jean Nkuete, commenced his own a Region-by-Region consultation of members of government and Parliamentarians.

Similar to Ngoh Ngoh’s, Nkuete is said to have rather started with the Centre Region, holding discussions with the delegation, hours before the same persons met with Ngoh Ngoh at the Unity Palace. Nkuete is expected to continue his exchanges with similar delegations from the other nine Regions.

The moves from Jean Nkuete, it is now being analysed, point to a silent fracas between the CPDM and government. 

Critics say holding two separate consultations over Biya’s candidature; at the Presidency and the CPDM Central Committee, is a clear indication of a cold war pitting the Ngoh Ngoh and Jean Nkuete.

The people want to feel their President 

In yet another piece attributed to former Public Service Minister, Ange Angouing, a different view has been expressed. The former minister, in the said piece, has criticised the various declarations of assurances, indicating that what is needed is for Biya to relate with Cameroonians who gave him the mandate to lead.

His outing holds the thoughts that what is needed are actions of guarantees from Biya, who is vested with powers to lead the country. 

He kicked against people making different declarations, which he said, fail to answer the question of Biya’s authority in leadership.

Key names ‘boycott’ Ngoh Ngoh-led consultations

Beyond the clashes over Biya’s candidacy, there is said to be another set of members of government who did not honour Ngoh Ngoh’s Unity Palace consultations.

Most of those who did not show up are said to be senior ministers who had been expected to accompany others from their Regions of origin to the July 1 to 8 meetings, which Ngoh Ngoh said were ordered by Biya.

Some are inferring that the absences are not unconnected to claims in certain quarters that the man to whom instructions are attributed for the holding of such meetings, may actually not have ordered such.

But where is Biya we are looking for?

The prolong quarrels among ministers and CPDM eggheads, political analysts are averring, can be addressed within seconds, if Biya wants it to be so. They say what is going on is deeply akin to Biya’s power of silence in leadership for decades.

Biya, 92, they are quipping, can decide to make a bold outing on his position, regarding the upcoming election. 

Those who master his leadership style say, but for his age, which some are expressing reservations about, Biya has remained consistent in his silence on burning key issues.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3499 of Thursday July 10, 2025