2025 Presidentials: Nintcheu hints on endorsing Kamto as FCC candidate.

Hon Jean Mitchel Nintcheu and Prof Maurice Kamto

Vocal Member of Parliament, MP, Hon Jean Mitchel Nintcheu, has made a striking argument, citing texts on the legality, existence of political parties and position of lawmakers beyond the platform on which they were voted into Parliament that could change the course of the 2025 presidentials.

Nintcheu, in a piece dated January 23, 2025, centered around the political parties eligible to invest candidates for the 2025 presidentials, argued that as National Chairman of the Front for Change in Cameroon, FCC, political party, the platform is also eligible for same.

He argued that having left the Social Democratic Front, SDF, since February 2023, he became a member of the FCC, which was formally Rassemblement Pour La Patrie, RAP, (Movement for Homeland) and is thus eligible to invest a candidate for the presidential poll.

With his arguments, Hon Nintcheu, analysts are saying, is making a case for the possible candidature of Prof Maurice Kamto, National President of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement, MRC, to be candidate for the political outfit in the upcoming presidential poll.

For one thing, the MRC doesn’t have any MP, Regional Councillor or Municipal Councillor and so cannot present a candidate for October's presidential election. 

The arguments from Nintcheu, many are saying, is in favour of Kamto to easily run for the election on the ticket of FCC. Nintcheu had in December 2023, declared that the FCC is backing Kamto as its candidate for the presidential election.

 

FCC has no formal authorisation from MINAT

Despite his arguments hinged on the 1990 liberty laws, the Constitution and the Electoral Code, Nintcheu’s FCC is yet to get a formal authorisation from the Ministry of Territorial Administration, MINAT.

Yet, he is insistent that having submitted the required files without a reply for over three months, his political outfit is legitimate and can invest a candidate for the presidential poll.

 

Context, Nintcheu’s arguments 

It should be recalled that on January 21, 2025, the State-owned daily, Cameroon Tribune, had published a list of what it said are the 18 political parties eligible to invest candidates for the presidential poll of this year.

Arguing against the list, Ninthceu said he is now an MP of the FCC platform and so his party should have been mentioned. He claimed when RAP’s name was changed to FCC, he followed the law by submitting the change of name to the governor of the Littoral Region on July 10, 2023.

This, the MP said, was “in accordance with Law No. 90/056 of 19 December 1990 which, in Chapter II, states the following: Article 4 (1): ‘An application to set up a political party shall be made by submitting a complete file to the office of the governor with territorial jurisdiction’”. 

“Article 5 (2): ‘any change or modification in these elements, as well as the supporting documents, must be communicated to the territorially competent governor’”.

Article 6 of the same law, he further argued, gives the governor a 15-day deadline to forward the file to MINAT. 

He further noted that Article 7 (2) of the same legislative piece, he went on makes it clear that: “If no reply is received three (3) months from the date on which the application is lodged with the territorially competent governor, the political party shall be deemed to be legally in existence”.

He said the Littoral governor, Dieudonne Ivaha Diboua, had sent the file to MINAT on July 13, 2023. 

In this light, he said, MINAT had until October 13, 2023, to take a decision on the change of name.

The erstwhile SDF lawmaker declared that: “This has not yet been done. As a result, the change of name has been in effect since 14 October 2023. Since that date, the RAP has officially become the Front for Change in Cameroon, FCC”.

On this note, he averred that on the strength of Section 7 (2) Law No. 90/056 of 19 December 1990 on the creation of political parties, the FCC, is legal.

 

Exploits Constitution to solidify claim

Beyond the Electoral Code and 1990 law, Nintcheu, a known ally of Kamto, said as MP, he represents the entire nation and not a political party. He cited Article 15 (2) of the Constitution.

He furthered that: “Article 15 (3) goes on to state: ‘Any imperative mandate is null and void’. This means that, although they are invested by a political party, MPs are no longer the property of a political party. They represent the entire nation. It follows from these two relevant provisions of the Constitution of the Republic that the FCC has at least one elected representative…”.

He insisted that going by Articles 15 (2) and 15 (3) of the Constitution, in addition to his post as FCC boss and MP, the party is qualified to invest a candidate “for the 2025 presidential election”.

 

Why Kamto badly needs another political platform

Firstly, Kamto’s MRC has no Regional, Municipal Councilor or Member of Parliament as required by law to file in a candidate for this year's presidential election. This is because he boycotted the twin elections of February 9, 2020.

According to section 121 (1) of the Electoral Code, for an individual to qualify to contest for presidential election, he/she must be invested by a political party or be an independent candidate on condition of having 300 signatures from the 10 Regions. 

Thus, Kamto’s only other option is to get 300 signatures as per the Electoral Code from elected officials and first-class traditional rulers.

But with most elected officials and first-class traditional rulers being of the CPDM party, Kamto, analysts are saying, knows such signatures will be difficult to get. This, they say, thus necessitates Kamto’s need for another political platform to context next year’s presidentials.

 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3355 of Friday January 31, 2025

 

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