October 12 poll: Bello Denies endorsing Tchiroma as ‘consensus candidate’.

Ngayap dismissed what he said were reports that the UNDP candidate is part of an arrangement that came up with a ‘consensus candidate’.

He said after Elections Cameroon, ELECAM, and the Constitutional Council validated candidates for the election, it is left for any of those approved to decide whether to support another candidate or not.

Candidates, Ngayap declared, are not bound by “isolated initiatives from groups or individuals lacking proper mandates” to go into a deal.

Before the statement of the UNDP, Cyril Sam Baka, leader of the Alliance of the Progressive Forces, APF, had distanced himself and the Douala Group from the faction that announced Issa Tchiroma as a consensus candidate.

Baka said the Djeukam and Anicet Ekane-led faction long left the Douala Group and created the Union for Change. On this basis, he said their endorsement of Tchiroma cannot be linked to the Douala Group.

“The Douala group has nothing to do with this initiative. Honestly, I’m tired of explaining this repeatedly…this has no connection with the Douala Group,” he stated.

In the face of the confusion, the Cameroonian Party for National Reconciliation, PCRN, candidate for the October 12 poll, Cabral Libii, is rather calling for “an intergenerational approach” to establish an alliance.

On September 9, he is said to have asked Tchiroma, Bello Bouba and Akere Muna who are the elders among candidates to first unite. He said once “if they do so, the example will come from our elders”. 

He also urged his supporters and party members to stay calm and focused, encouraging continued campaigning as the election approaches. 

Bouba’s statement aims to dispel lingering rumors and reaffirm his determination to participate in the upcoming presidential race.

By Gideon Tangu Atebe, Journalism student on internship

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3569 of Friday September 19, 2025