By Synthia Lateu
The New Independence and Democracy Movement (MANIDEM) has accused the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) of orchestrating the rejection of Maurice Kamto’s candidacy in a bid to eliminate its main challenger from the 2025 presidential race.
In a statement released after Elections Cameroon (ELECAM) announced the list of 13 candidates retained for the upcoming presidential election, MANIDEM President Anicet Ekane denounced the move as a “blatant abuse” and a “crude provocation.”
“Clearly, the ruling CPDM regime and Paul Biya, sensing defeat, are trying to avoid a face-off with the MANIDEM candidate,” Ekane declared, calling for unwavering mobilization to oppose what he described as an ongoing plot.
Ekane further revealed that before the official publication of the approved candidates, Kamto’s personal documents prepared for his candidacy had been leaked by the regime . He also accused the government of launching a disinformation campaign about candidate eligibility, which included vile attacks by ministers.
According to him, the regime even went as far as tampering with the official registration of MANIDEM’s leadership on the website of the Ministry of Territorial Administration (MINAT) and submitting a fake second candidacy in the party’s name.
Ekane insisted that MANIDEM would contest the rejection before the Constitutional Council.
Commenting on the situation, political analyst David Eboutou said the decision to bar Kamto remains open to legal challenge. He noted that Kamto could still be reinstated by the Constitutional Council.
“The reason given for rejecting his candidacy is highly debatable,” Eboutou argued. “This candidate one of the heavyweights of the opposition deserves the chance to have his popularity tested in a pluralistic democratic election.”
