Biya, Anglophones deserve Vice President, PM posts!.

Despite some of the outcries that the bill does not meet the aspirations of Anglophones, given the fact that it failed to include a clause that when a Francophone is the President, the Vice President must be an Anglophone and vice versa, Members of the National Assembly and the Senate, on Saturday April 4, 2026, voted the bill with an overwhelming majority.

Advocates of Anglophone’s postulation, are drawing their arguments from the perspective that Anglophones of present-day Cameroon, who were from the now defunct Southern Cameroons, joined their Francophone brothers and sisters of the now defunct La Republique du Cameroun in 1961, after the United Nations, UN-organised plebiscite. 

The union, it should be said, was in a federal setting.

The federal Constitution had stipulated that when a Francophone is the President, the Vice President must be an Anglophone and vice versa. 

That is why when the late Ahmadou Ahidjo (a Francophone) was President, the late Dr John Ngu Foncha (an Anglophone), was Vice President. This was the same case when Ahidjo was President and his Vice President was Solomon Tandeng Muna, an Anglophone. 

However, the post of Vice President was cancelled in 1972. It was scrapped when the country adopted a new Constitution that transformed the Federal Republic of Cameroon to a Unitary State, the United Republic of Cameroon, on May 20, 1972.

But with the re-introduction of the post of Vice President, Anglophones (Southern Cameroons), who came into the union with Francophones (La Republique du Cameroun) as equal entities, think it is rightly theirs, given the fact that the current President of the Republic, Paul Biya, is a Francophone. 

Even though the adopted bill to amend the Constitution leaves a window open for President Biya to appoint whoever he wishes, Anglophones think, and rightly so, that they deserve the post of Vice President, given historical, social, developmental and political events.

Come to think of it, political analysts from across the board insist that the post of Vice President will not be a gift or privilege to Anglophones. 

They argue strongly that it is their right as a people who joined their Francophone brothers and sisters in good faith, as equals, but have been short-changed and pushed to the back-burner in the sharing of the national cake and rendered second-class citizens in a country they call theirs.

During the 2025 presidential election, there were clamours for the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement, CPDM, party to invest an Anglophone as its candidate, in order to give Anglophones the opportunity to run the affairs of the country. 

As was expected, the ruling party ignored the call, to the chagrin of many Anglophones who thought it was the time for the people originating from Southern Cameroons to run the affairs of the Republic of Cameroon. 

Case of Prime Minister

With regards to the post of Prime Minister, after reunification in 1961, both the States of West Cameroon and East Cameroon had their respective Prime Ministers. But these positions were scraped in 1972. 

Nonetheless, it was subsequently reinstated in 1975, with Paul Biya appointed Prime Minister, with succession rights. He later became Head of State in 1982, when President Ahmadou Ahidjo resigned and hand-picked him as his successor.

Nevertheless, Biya, on January 15, 1984, following Constitutional reforms, scrapped the post of Prime Minister. He later re-introduced it on April 26, 1991, with the appointment of Sadou Hayatou as Prime Minister. But since April 9, 1992, the post of Prime Minister, currently the fourth in the State protocol, has been held by Anglophones. 

Political analysts have postulated that the performance of Anglophones as Prime Ministers, since President Biya re-introduced the position on April 26, 1991, has outshone those of previous Francophone Prime Ministers. Anglophones’ dexterity in public administration has proven that they can handle such positions better than their Francophone peers. 

Another school of thought holds that given the fact that the current Cameroon is made up of two entities that came together as equals, appointing Anglophones to the posts of Vice President and Prime Minister, will make the composition of the State protocol look thus: President (Francophone), Vice President (Anglophone), Senate President (Francophone), National Assembly Speaker (Francophone), Prime Minister (Anglophone).

Pundits thus aver that in the State protocol of five, three for Francophones and two for Anglophones, is not only a fair deal for countries that came together as equal entities but would douse the flames of growing sentiments of marginalisation, assimilation and subjugation.

In all this melee, political watchers say in order to consolidate the much-trumpeted national unity and living together, President Biya, must, as a matter of expediency, hand the Vice Presidency and Prime Minister position to Anglophones.

Biya, Anglophones deserve more

It should be recalled that Anglophones’ contribution to sustaining the Biya regime in power are legion. But despite their historical right to the posts of Vice President and Prime Minister, such contributions must be taken into consideration by President Biya, as he plans to shuffle his cards for a new dispensation in the country.

Biya first sworn-in by an Anglophone

Pundits point to the fact that President Biya was sworn-in as President in 1982, by an Anglophone, the then Speaker of the National Assembly, the late Solomon Tandeng Muna. 

They note that invoking the African culture, S.T Muna could be seen as the kingmaker who enthroned Biya and the role of kingmakers in the African context cannot be overemphasised.

Anglophones saved Biya’s life in 1984 coup d’etat

In 1982, then President, the late Ahmadou Ahidjo, took the nation and the international community by surprise, when he announced his resignation, handing over power to Paul Biya, then Prime Minister.

Ahmadou Ahidjo later toured the nation, calling on Cameroonians to give the new Head of State, President Paul Biya, maximum support.

Despite handing over power to Biya, on November 4, 1982, Ahidjo stayed on as the National Chairman of the then lone political grouping, Cameroon National Union, CNU. 

Not long after, relations between Ahmadou Ahidjo and Paul Biya became tense and on April 6, 1984, a group of rogue soldiers of the Republican guard, mostly of northern origin, staged a coup d’état, attempting to overthrow President Biya. The coup failed.

Some Anglophone Cameroonians are said to have played major roles to foil the coup, thereby not only foiling an attempt to evict Biya from power, but most importantly saving his life. 

One of them is current General Ivo Yenwo, who was then bodyguard of the Head of State, with the rank of captain. He is said to have dexterously, coupled with military savvy and courage, hidden President Biya and urged him to stay hidden, even when he was showing signs of coming out to surrender to the putschists. 

Yet, another Anglophone who is said to have played a major rule to foil the 1984 coup d’etat, is a technician, Achu Samba, who was working then at the radio high frequency centre in Yaounde. 

While the rogue soldiers took over the national station of then Radio Cameroon, the smart Anglophone technician discretely switched off the high frequency, causing the coup plotters’ radio broadcast to circulate only within Yaounde. 

The putschists’ accomplices, who were in the then Provinces waiting for the green light to take over control, failed to get the message. This, historians have noted, was one of the things that caused the failure of the coup.

Biya made Fon of Fons

It should also be recalled that President Biya holds the top traditional title in the North West Region, of that of Fon of Fons. 

The title was conferred on him by all the traditional rulers of the North West Region, in 1983. That was when he came to Bamenda for the Agric Show. 

With traditional rulers in the North West Region considered monarchs and kings within their communities, President Biya’s title of Fon of Fons therefore makes him King of Kings. He has not had any other title higher than that of King of Kings from Region in the country.

It is believed that Fons wield some magically or spiritual powers. Observers thus believe that it was because of some of these powers conferred on Biya that he miraculously survived the 1984 coup d’etat.

To this day, traditionalists still hold that it was because North West Region Fons spiritually empowered and protected Biya, that he was able to survive several upheavals, that could have taken him out of power.

These include the 1990 reawakening that clamoured for political change, post-1992 presidential election violence, 2008 nationwide hunger strike, and post-2018 and 2025 presidential election riots, among others.   

Bamenda is my second home – Biya

President Paul Biya, taking into consideration some of the aforementioned, has declared many times that Bamenda is his second home. 

He first made the declaration when he visited Bamenda for the first time in 1983, for the Agro-pastoral Show. Biya has also severally said Bamenda has the pride of place in his heart.

Implicit is the fact that considering a place "second home," in such words means one identifies with its people, their struggles, concerns and aspirations. 

Being conferred the title of Fon of Fons as Biya was, by the North West traditional rulers, moreover carries many expectations.

So, for somebody who has declared Bamenda and by extension Anglophone Cameroon, as his second home, observers say there is no gainsaying the fact that he has to ‘spoil’ his Anglophone brothers with juicy things. One of such, analysts say, should be the posts of Vice President and Prime Minister. 

Bamenda, birthplace of CPDM

Anglophones, pundits say, also had the privilege on March 24, 1985, in Bamenda, of hosting the congress that gave birth to the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement, CPDM. 

Anglophones have largely continued to champion the activities of the ruling party. Observers think by dint of one of their towns being the birthplace of the CPDM, Anglophones should have the pride of place within its structures and be able to benefit a sizable share of the pay-offs of the CPDM government being in power. 

Anglophone elite’s solidarity with Biya

In the meantime, some people point to the fact that if the SDF, which was previously largely seen as an Anglophone party, did not boycott the 1992 legislative election, Biya would have been out of power since 1992.

It is also worth noting that Anglophone elite, in 1992, sided with Biya, against one of theirs, the late Ni John Fru Ndi. 

The billion-dollar question on very lip is: “Can Biya afford himself the luxury of forsaking Anglophones, in the highly-envisaged New Republic; by denying them the Vice President and Prime Minister posts, which is supposed to be theirs by right, and not by favour?” 

Political watchers say they are anxiously waiting to see how the man, who Anglophones went out of their way, to ensure his safety and stay in power, for more than four decades and still counting, can in turn serve his benefactors blistering hot water, after they served him chilled water. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3754 of Wednesday April 08, 2026