October 12 poll: Kamto out.

According to the President of the Constitutional Council, Justice Clement Atangana, the petitions of Prof Kamto and Dieudonne Yebga, which were jointly heard for over four hours on Monday, August 4, were admissible in form but rejected in substance.

Kamto had gone to the Constitutional Council, with the hope of having the body overturn the decision of ELECAM.

In rejecting Kamto's file, ELECAM had said MANIDEM party that invested him, had submitted another candidate; in the person of Dieudonne Yebga.

After more than fours of intense hearing of the matter on Monday, the Council, apparently to wave off the tension and bad-mouthing that had characterised the process, adjourned the matter to yesterday.

It took the Constitutional Council just four minutes to seal Kamto’s fate yesterday. After the decision was pronounced, Prof Kamto stormed out of the hall visibly dissatisfied. 

Reacting to the decision, one of Kamto’s lawyers, Barrister Hyppolyte Meli, said it was politically motivated and not based on legal grounds.

He told reporters that such a decision undermines the democratic principles that should guide the election.

Barrister Meli said it was inadmissible that the Constituional Council jointly heard the complaints. He remarked that: “The Council was 3% legal and 97% political”.

The lawyer said they acknowledged the decision but also said other political actions are in view.

Libii floors Kona again

Hon Cabral Libii floored Robert Kona for the umpteenth time at the Constitutional Council yesterday. 

Kona had written to the Council, claiming leadership of the Cameroonian Party for National Reconciliation, PCRN. He had asked the Council to disqualify Cabral from the race.

The Council rejected his appeal. The decision means Libii is recognised as the legitimate flagbearer of the party at the expense of Kona.

UPC aspirants thrown out 

Complaints from all three aspirants, under the banner of the Union des Population du Cameroun, UPC, party were thrown out. 

The complainants were; Prof Jean Bahebeck, Abdouraman Ahmadou Baba and Yamb Ntimbane, who had claimed eligibility to run on behalf of the party.

The Secretary General of one of the UPC factions, Pierre Balequel Nkot, in his submission, had prayed the Council to uphold the July 26, 2025, decision of ELECAM, that rejected the three candidacies.

To Prof Bahebeck, rejecting his candidacy is a move to open up the political space for competition. He said the regime in power wants to avoid “defeat, because they know I would have beaten them. So, they did not want to take a risk”.

He decried that: “They have taken somebody who is not even from the UPC. You have a candidate who is loved by other persons but you take an aspirant who has never been a member even in another party and you bring him to fight me”. He promised to fight on.

Shewa spits fire after rejection

The Council also rejected the appeal of Shewa David Samuel against Eyem Eboko Pierre Joseph. Both had dropped candidacy files under the banner of the MPCN party.

Shewa said his complaint was rejected because like other opposition heavyweights, he is among those to liberate Cameroon. 

He said he was not surprised with the decision. He accused ELECAM and the Ministry of Territorial Administration of working against him.

He claimed the government wants to spill blood by rejecting his candidacy but called for calm.

Rejected aspirants open to endorse another candidate

Some of those whose pleas were rejected, said they are open to endorsing other candidates for the election.

Prof Bahebeck said: “I will not join an opposition which has shown evidence that it is not real and open”. 

He promised to support a person who has a history of keeping to his words. 

 Prof Bahebeck stressed that if he doesn’t find an ideal opposition candidate, he will continue his fight in line with the philosophy of the UPC.

Shewa, on his part, said he intends to talk to Kamto and other key opposition actors. 

“God will use another person through us and we will liberate the nation. We will decide which candidate we are going to support,” Shewa said.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3525 of Wednesday August 06, 2025