Explosive interview: Hon Tabot Lawson on Cavaye's sudden, brutal fall.

According to the MP, the changes at the helm of both the Senate and National Assembly are welcomed. 

He, however, noted that it took everyone off guard.

Hon Tabot made the observations as guests on the magazine programme, Inside The Presidency, on the Cameroon Radio Television, CTRV. 

The interview was first aired on Monday, March 23, 2026.

The MP also revisited the intrigues leading to the removal of long-serving Speaker, Cavaye Yeguie Djirbil, and emergence of Hon Theodore Datouo, as new National Assembly Speaker.

Hon Tabot equally delved into the confusion and panic that swept through the CPDM caucus meeting, prior to the unveiling of the list of proposed bureau members.

He declared that all eyes are now on the executive, for such sweeping changes to also manifest. 

The Kumba Urban MP also touched on other issues relating to the working of Parliament and work Hon Datouo must do to succeed as Speaker. Read on…

What is the mood like at the National Assembly after last Tuesday's changes at the level of its bureau?

Thank you very much. You know, for MPs who have worked with the Speaker, and those who were here before us for a number of years, to get up one morning and discover Right Hon. Cavaye is no longer Speaker…it's a bit difficult to swallow.

But the situation is different because the person who replaced him is also one of his children with whom he worked for long. You know, Right Hon Datouo Theordore, now Speaker, was very close to the Right Hon. Cavaye who used him in nearly all of his operations. 

So, I think we have mixed feelings of joy on one hand, and people on the other hand who are not really happy with the manner in which the Speaker was replaced.

Were there any signs at the National Assembly that there was going to be these changes?

Not really. I was with the former Speaker on the eve of the bureau elections. I left his house at about 9:00 p.m., and we were preparing for the Central Committee meeting which was the next day (Tuesday March 17). We all knew he was going to stay on as the Speaker. But in the morning at about 8:30 a.m., I was informed that there is a new turn of events; that there was somebody from the Presidency who visited the Speaker’s house. 

So that created a sense of fear. When we met the Right Hon Cavaye, he said he was told he will no longer be the Speaker. That the big man has said that he would not be retained. 

What I must say is that the Speaker is a strong man. In my young age, I couldn’t have taken it lightly. He spoke to us and said he has served the Head of State for long, and if he decides that it is time to leave, he accepts the decision and asked us to prepare for the meeting at 11:00 a.m.

At what point did you realise that all the rumours you had been hearing were going to be true after all?

It was no longer a rumour to me at about 9:40 a.m. because I had already been informed. But the issue was who was going to replace him. That was where there was a problem.  This time around, we were not summoned by the CPDM Central Committee as had been the case. The summons came from the Presidency. 

That alone was a sign that something was wrong. So, the atmosphere was really tensed. Our meeting was to start at 10:00 a.m. but finally started at 1 p.m. There was an air of uncertainty especially for bureau members.

There were rumours that every member of the bureau had been replaced. So, we waited until the final moment came for the meeting and the eldest member opened the deliberations. Later on, the Secretary General of the Central Committee came in.

In what form was the information presented? How was the reaction like, and was it on a piece of paper?

The Secretary General of the CPDM gave the authority to the party’s Communication Secretary, who is the Minister of State, Prof Fame Ndongo, to read the decision of the party. 

He took the paper and then said, “The Bureau of the National Assembly. This is the Bureau of the National Assembly”. And then he started: “President: Honourable Datouo Théodore”. 

So, there was a bit of silence in the hall, and then things picked up with jubilation. You have to know that Hon. Datouo is an old Member of Parliament. He had worked very well with the former Speaker. So, there was confusion in the hall. But after all, I think that it was okay.

There’s something you said at the beginning I would like you to pursue. You said the manner wasn't common or accepted by the quasi-totality of parliamentarians or members of the National Assembly. What exactly did you mean by that?

No. What I am saying is, we are at the end of our mandate and the former Speaker is not sick and we just extended the mandate till December 20, 2026.

So, there are many of us who believed that the Speaker would have stayed up to the end of his mandate, and then maybe during the next elections, he would be told not to continue. 

But like I said, the decision of the party is supreme to any other person. So, those were just dissenting voices. Some people thought it would have been better for Cavaye to finish this mandate. But the State has its way of doing things, and the CPDM party as a whole took that decision. The party knows better why the decision was taken at this time and not later.

Did your choice for Speaker align with your party's recommendation?

Yes, of course. It is the party that has decided. The Secretary General of the Central Committee was the one who presided over the ceremony. It was not President Biya who wrote a letter to us.

It was our usual forum of parliamentarians of the CPDM, and after that, the proposed bureau was disclosed to us. So, it is a normal procedure that they took, but it was abrupt to us.

It came at a time nobody was expecting. Nobody thought about it. Not even the closest person to the former Speaker knew. And I am sure that not even Cavaye himself, until the morning he was informed, didn’t know.

With these changes, both at the National Assembly and the Senate, what do they say about the leadership of President Biya? 

Like I said before, I am a CPDM militant, a Section President, a Member of Parliament and a member of the Bureau of the National Assembly. I respect strictly the decisions of the hierarchy of the party. 

The President, who is the National Preesident of the party, and who doubles as Head of State, if he takes a decision, in line with the party, it is incontestable and there is no gainsaying. There is only one leader and that leader is President Paul Biya. So, whatever he chooses, whatever he decides, we all have to abide. If you are a CPDM militant, then you have to respect the decisions of the Head of State, who is the National President of the party.

On November 6, 2025, during his inauguration, the President said more attention will be towards younger persons and women. With this, do you think the changes are in line with the President’s vision? 

Oh yes! If you look at the age of the new Speaker, 66, and that of the former speaker 86, you realise that there is a huge difference of about 20 years. 

It falls in line with President’s Biya’s vision of giving people who are strong enough to carry on. And I must admit that Right Hon Datouo, for the time I have been in Parliament, is knowledgeable and is a product of the former Speaker, because every occasion that had taken place at the National Assembly, Right Hon Datouo was always part of it.

Remember that he was not the First Vice Speaker or the second, neither was he the third. But the former Speaker entrusted a lot of confidence on him.

That is why he was blessed to lead all the committees that he was leading. So, I think that President Paul Biya is keeping to his promise. It has started with Parliament as a whole because even the President of the Senate is quite young compared to the former person. 

So, I think that since the changes have started in parliament, we believe that it will get to the executive. Let it continue with the executive so that Cameroonians can once more be happy that there is a new beginning.

You know that anytime that there is a change, there is hope for a better beginning. It starts afresh. So, that is the same hope that Parliamentarians have in both houses. 

Honorable Lawson Tabot, all of you have had time to overcome the shock, the emotional tantrums that I understand were unleashed soon after you took notice of these changes. Are these changes a surprise to you? 

No, not at all. Just like I said, the decision of the National President of the CPDM is unchallengeable. So, whether it was a surprise or we were informed before, his decision is incontestable. 

That is clear. So, we are ready and we have even started collaborating. We had a bureau meeting, and we have started adopting bills. So, Parliament is in motion. We are working. Everything has taken shape. Right Hon Datouo has taken over; it is a new command. There is a new train and we are on it for the betterment of the parliament and the Cameroonians. 

Have you spoken to the former Speaker, the Rt Honourable Cavayé Yéguié Djibril since he left office? 

Of course. I am there every day at least twice…. I went to his house to wish him well and to wish him a happy celebration of the feast of Ramadan. 

What is his mood like? How does he see these changes?

When we left the Yaounde Conference Centre, and even in the morning before we left, we thought we would see a former Speaker who would be broken by the events, saddened. 

No! He was calm and okay and told us that he has worked with the Head of State for more than 30 years and if the Head of State, who is his National President, has decided that he should rest for another person to take over, then he has nothing to challenge.

I can tell you at any time that he is happy. He said the decision of the Head of State should not be contested and that people should not look at it differently.

The former Speaker said he has worked with President Paul Biya and the president knows him and knows his achievements as Speaker and if he says today that he should have a rest, there is nothing wrong with that.

Does that mean that all the rumours that there was resistance are all unfounded? 

Completely unfounded. Resistance from where? That is impossible. Like I told you, he is okay. Even the new Speaker went to Right Hon Cavaye’s house immediately after the elections. We went to the former Speaker's house and we were warmly received. We discussed for about 10-15 minutes and then the new Speaker left to wait for guests at his house after the election. 

So, there was no resistance. Let me explain something to you; it is not even the person who has been replaced that has a problem. It is the people around the person that has been replaced that feel the shock. 

I still feel the former Speaker is in perfect mood and is appreciative of the time he spent with President Paul Biya. 

Some people will say that it is unusual in Cameroon’s political etiquettes because generally, when people leave office, they seem to have no friends anymore. Is this a different case?

You see, loyalty is something that speaks in politics. If you know the character of the former Speaker, he is a social man, he is a father. I am from the South West, I am not a Muslim but I am close to him. 

When we have conversations, I try in French whether it is correct or not. The good thing is that he understands what I am saying. So, we will always visit him.

First of all, he is a father; it is an advantage for us to be sharing with an aged man of that nature. He is a patriarch. Many other MPs have been visiting him because he receives everybody, even workers of the National Assembly. I know that even the present Speaker will always pay him a visit because he has a very cordial relationship with Cavaye. 

How challenging will the job of Speaker be for Right Hon Datouo Theodore?

I must say that it is going to be a huge challenge, but I want to assure you that Right Hon Datouo that I know, I have been able to work with him, thanks to the former Speaker. We have worked together in so many commissions and committees.

I think Right Hon Datouo will work not just for the interest of parliamentarians but also for workers of the National Assembly. If you watch what has happened in the National Assembly with the trend of events since 2020, I repeat, Right Honourable Datouo was the one always being used by the Speaker when it comes to real matters that concern the institution.

During that period, Right Hon Datouo was neither the first Vice Speaker nor the Second nor the third. But he was given the confidence long ago. So, I think it is continuity.

The only difference is that one person was a little bit aged enough. This time around, we have a young, dynamic, energetic leader.

Right Honourable Datouo is going to work in the interest of parliamentarians, workers of the National Assembly and Cameroonians as a whole. We are looking up to him to ensure that parliamentarians fully carry out their functions. That is what we want.

So, what makes Right Honourable Datouo the right man in the right place? 

I have known him as a colleague and today as my boss. For all the time I have worked with Right Hon. Theodore Datouo, I have known him as a kind person who is strict, but very collaborative. 

He wants results. I know of many times when the former Speaker put him in a committee, he will keep the side aside and picks somebody who is just a member to work with because he wants results. 

The new National Assembly building, it was because Right Honourable Datouo who worked to ensure that things happen the way they are supposed to happen. 

I think if he continues in this manner, because the way he worked as coordinator or vice president is different from where he is today as the leader of the house. So, he has to work with everybody, work with every Member of Parliament, his bureau and the staff of the National Assembly.

How do you expect him to handle the House's current challenges?

The National Assembly is governed by its Standing Orders. If the Standing Orders of the House are respected, he works closely with his bureau and with his directors, and with a strict sense of impartiality, he will lead the National Assembly in a more perfect manner than anyone would expect him to do.

​

You benefited from the confidence of your party hierarchy and eventually your colleagues who cast their vote for the joint bureau positions. How did you react to that?  Initially, you thought you were going to leave?

Yes, of course. Like I said, it is the Head of State who decides who stays and who goes. So, imagine that we are in the hall, and then they announce that the Speaker, who is the head, is gone. 

My brother, you would not even wait to hear the other names that are going to be read. You're going to be frightened and I being someone who was very close to the former Speaker, when I heard a new person has taken over—first of all, before they would even arrive to where secretaries were—I was panicking on my chair.

​I never knew, but when it came out that I was not replaced, I went on my knees and I said, "God, I thank you".  I thank the God Almighty, and the gods of Kumba that sent me to parliament. 

Let me use this medium to sincerely thank the Head of State for renewing his confidence in me as a Member of Parliament, and I must tell you I'll be able to do my job as a Section President and MP. I am a true Biyaist, and I think that the Head of State has renewed that confidence in me, knowing fully well that I am a Biyaist and I stand by that.

Honorable, I'd like to run us a little bit through this. What were the sentiments like? The feelings of expecting that list to be read out, and then eventually it was read out with your name on it? What were feelings like? Let us go through that scenario. 

You know, my grandparents used to say that when a man is tensed, you have what they call "short peace" that comes out of you. That tension. You are in between joy and sadness. 

First of all, just knowing that the Speaker, the former Speaker, is out of the place, that's a huge blow to me. Before going to listen, I must tell you the truth, I did not even listen to the names of the other colleagues. First, I was traumatised.

​Then I tried to put myself back as a man, and then I started listening to the names. Even my colleague who came in as Questor, I never heard his name. It is to tell you that I was tensed. Then when they started reading the secretaries now, I tried to put myself back and then, fortunately, I heard my name and I was happy.

Some people predict that 2026 will be a significant legislative year. What are your thoughts on that, especially beginning with this session?

We have changes in the two houses of parliament. So that already shows something, and in the days ahead, we don't know what the government is going to table before us, and we are looking forward to better days in the month of March.

A bill extending your mandate to December 20, 2026 has already been adopted. What do you make of this?

​

Certainly yes. Why? Because the bureau has already endorsed it and has determined it admissible and tabled it to the house. We voted it because the reasons for the extension put forth by the government are genuine.

​

What are the reasons that you think are genuine?

One, we are just coming out from an election which had cost the government a lot of money. At the moment, we are passing through financial difficulties. Those are the things that are fundamental. So, these and many other reasons that the Head of State cited in his letter, we deemed necessary that it is better for the mandate to be pushed to December 20 for the government to have time to put resources together to prepare for elections and to take care of other responsibilities of the state.

And that is enough to extend the mandate?

Of course, it is not against the Constitution. It is within ambits of the Constitution. Remember that it is Parliament that accepts to or not. So, it is our decision to accept or not, and we have accepted it.

​

Are your constituents in agreement with that?

Of course, I certainly believe, yes. It will give us time, as CPDM militants, to put things in order after the last election. You find the scores of the last elections were not too wide. So, it is time for a rethink, where the party has to sit, maybe look into where we came short and then try to balance things and prepare.

​

So, the changes are intended to favour your party? Is that what you're saying?

It is to favour Cameroonians, the electorate as a whole, but more especially, I am speaking on behalf of my party.

Honourable, the Paul Biya Glass House was inaugurated on the 30th of November 2024. Now, how has it impacted parliamentary work? 

I must say that we will continue to be grateful to the Head of State, the Chinese government, and the former Speaker who came up with the project.

The manner in which things are handled in the National Assembly is different now. It has improved the work condition of workers in the National Assembly and even parliamentarians. 

Things are in order now. All we pray for is that the building be maintained. I am also very happy that the main coordinator of this project, is today the Speaker of the house. I am glad that it didn't go to somebody else. So, he will be able to put this House in order, maintain the building so that Cameroonians can enjoy them.

How did the National Assembly come about this project?

I came in 2020 after our elections into Parliament. I was privileged to be appointed amongst the members who were the coordinators of this project under the present Speaker, Right Hon Théodore Datouo, who was our head, and we followed his advice. But I knew from all the information that it was a decision that was taken by the Speaker of the House, the former Speaker, and which the Head of State endorsed.

Then, the Chinese government accepted to finance the project entirely and Hon Théodore Datouo worked for the realisation of the project. In a giant structure like this, the issue is not just the structure, but maintaining that structure, keeping it up to date. It's a big challenge, a huge one.

When we talk about the impending legislative agenda that might be coming up in the days ahead, we have an idea of some of the possible bills that might come to Parliament. What have you been hearing? What is out there in store for the public?

I am not a rumour-monger. I know my job as a parliamentarian. As far as I am concerned, what has come to us so far is the bill to extend the mandate of MPs.

We look forward to whatever the government will present in the coming weeks. Rumours and social media information should stay on their own; I am not part of those who spread rumours.

When you get to the bridge, you will cross it?

I will cross it.

Can Cameroonians count on members of the National Assembly to move a robust legislative agenda forward?

Yes. I used the word before, perform their functions. I know I have been performing in the past. You see, let me tell you, many people believe that Members of Parliament are not really exercising the aspect of control of government action. 

And what do you think? 

I hold the same idea too. I hold the same belief. So, I believe that with the present Speaker that I know as somebody who is straight, parliamentarians should be given an upper hand. If we are crying corruption and lack of this and that today in this country, it is because we did not take part in curbing the corruption by performing one of our unique functions and we are yet to do that.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3746 of Monday March 30, 2026