ANALYSIS: Constitutional Council Saga: Kamto’s Rejection Is Opportunity to Rally Behind Anglophone Candidate

By Hans Ngala

Things turned out dramatically at the Constitutional Council in Yaounde after Maurice Kamto’s file was again rejected on the baseless claim that it was “unfounded”. This leaves Cameroonians wondering what exactly is unfounded here. Is the Council saying that Kamto’s appeal is unfounded or that his file is unfounded?
Such vagueness and ambiguity is the Biya regime’s textbook manual for ruling the country. Always shrouded in ambiguity, things are never explained clearly, if ever at all.
This sort of behavior by the Biya-led government, has many similarities to Ivorian leader, Alassane Outtara. Whereas Outtara banned opposition parties in (give year), Biya uses similar tactics. Biya amended the constitution in 2008 to allow him to lengthen his stay in power, Outtara did same in Ivory Coast in (give year).
That aside, the Constitutional Council’s rejection of Kamto’s file is a wake-up call for opposition parties to unite and speak with one voice. It is very clear now that Kamto is not going to beat a system that is bent on keeping him out of the race because of his obvious charisma and popularity. His best chance therefore, is to unite with another party – and we’d suggest he supports an Anglophone candidate. Kamto simply needs to throw his weight and support behind the Anglophones who lack the popular support which Kamto has, but has the legal standing needed to run in the race. Will this be Osih, Muna or Ateki?
It is obvious that the regime doesn’t perceive Osih as much of a heavyweight threat to Paul Biya. Hence, allowing “softer” candidates like Osih and others whom the regime knows, do not have the kind of popularity that Kamto has – is a ploy to lend credibility to yet another sham election which Biya is bound to “win” again.
Cameroonians need to wake up and see through these lies and charade. Monday’s heavy police and gendarme deployment across the 3 million-strong capital clearly demonstrates this. Why did the regime deploy armed police and gendarmes as if expecting war or clashes for a purely civic exercise ? If the regime has nothing to hide, why were the Constitutional Council hearings of August 4 and 5 not broadcast, to allow Cameroonians see and hear for themselves what the Council’s deliberations are? It seems there’s a calculated ploy by the government to shield Cameroonians from the truth and hide some kind of malfeasance by the Council in order to ensure that Biya remains unchallenged in the October 12 race. If Biya is so great and strong a candidate, why this concerted attempt to shield him from real challengers like Kamto?
Nevertheless, Kamto needs to realize that he is up against a system that he cannot beat alone. As a former CPDM insider, he should know this better, having served as legal counsel for the party prior to his defection.
However, both ELECAM and the Constitutional Council must undergo immediate and radical reform in how they conduct their duties. These institutions are not meant to be extensions of the ruling party, nor should they act as gatekeepers for Paul Biya’s prolonged reign. Their mandate is to serve the people of Cameroon — not a political dynasty that has drained the country for 43 years while offering little in terms of development, human rights, or democratic accountability.
First, ELECAM must be restructured to guarantee neutrality. As it stands, its members are handpicked by the President — the very man whose re-election they are expected to oversee. This is a gross conflict of interest. The electoral body needs to be independent, staffed by technocrats and representatives from across the political spectrum. Furthermore, there must be full transparency in voter registration, ballot printing, distribution, and vote tallying. Cameroonians must be allowed to scrutinize the process at every stage, including through real-time publication of polling station results and live streams of counting centers.
Second, the Constitutional Council must start acting like a legal body, not a political instrument. Its role is to be an impartial arbiter of electoral disputes. When a candidate like Kamto files a legal challenge, the Council must present its rulings with legal clarity and evidence. Vague, unsubstantiated dismissals only fuel public distrust and reinforce the perception that the Council is merely rubber-stamping decisions to keep Biya in power. The Council must also allow public access to its proceedings. Closed-door sessions and selective media blackouts only breed suspicion and erode democratic norms.
If Paul Biya truly believes he is the people’s choice at 92 years old, then he should be ready to compete fairly and transparently at the ballot. Anything short of that is tyranny wrapped in a façade of democracy. No democratic state deploys armed forces in peacetime against its own citizens simply because they gathered to watch a legal hearing. That is the language of fear, not freedom.
Cameroonians deserve better. They deserve elections where every vote counts, where challengers can stand on an equal footing, and where institutions do not operate as puppets for the regime. If ELECAM and the Constitutional Council continue to act as instruments of oppression, then they are not just complicit — they are enemies of the very republic they claim to serve.