Pre-Electoral Litigation: Rejection Files Pile, Kamto’s Verdict Today
By Synthia Lateu
Pre-electoral litigation officially opened on Monday, August 4, in Yaoundé, marked by a series of rejected petitions, inadmissible claims, and the postponement of Maurice Kamto’s ruling, one of the most anticipated cases.
The eleven members of the Constitutional Council began publicly ruling on the 35 petitions filed by candidates and political parties whose applications were rejected by the Electoral Council for the October 12, 2025, presidential election.
The proceedings were chaired by Clément Atangana, President of the Council since its creation in 2018.
The Léon Theiller Onana Case
The session opened with one of the most closely watched files, that of Léon Theiller Onana, who challenged the candidacy of incumbent president Paul Biya. Onana’s legal team began the hearing with a bold request, demanding that Biya’s lawyers not be allowed to speak unless they presented a document personally signed by the candidate himself. They went on to raise several objections, even questioning the impartiality of the Council president, and calling for independence to prevail, referring to a past incident in which Clément Atangana allegedly attended a pro-regime gathering.
Ultimately, the Council rejected the petition, ruling it was “unfounded.” CPDM lawyer Louis Gabriel argued that the Councillor’s request was outside the jurisdiction of the Constitutional Council, stating that the institution does not intervene in the internal matters of political parties.
Maurice Kamto and Dieudonné Yebga
After the Constitutional Council had already declared five petitions inadmissible, including those filed by Léon Theiller Onana, Vincent Sosthène Fouda, and three separate appeals from Bertin Kisob. The session then moved on to one of the most anticipated cases involving Maurice Kamto, a prominent opposition figure whose candidacy was rejected by ELECAM because he was one of two individuals claiming nomination from the MANIDEM party.
The case, examined together with that of Dieudonné Yebga, the other MANIDEM candidate, was the longest of the day, lasting over four hours. Kamto’s lawyers had initially opposed the Council’s decision to merge the two cases, arguing that their appeal had no connection to Yebga’s. However, after a brief deliberation, the Council upheld their request to examine each file, one after the other.
Kamto’s legal team took turns arguing his case, with Kamto himself addressing the Council, insisting that he met all legal requirements for nomination by MANIDEM.
Meanwhile, the former leader of the party, Yebga, and his lawyer presented the party’s statutes to support his claim of legitimacy.
However, Barrister Moustapha Ngouana, representing Kamto, pointed out that the documents were neither signed nor authenticated. Yebga, in response, challenged Kamto to prove his membership in the party by presenting a valid membership card. The debate went on with several other issues raised.
Anicet Ekane, the party’s historic leader, appeared before the Council, dismissing the hearing as a disorganized political drama and calling for national interest to be prioritised over personal disputes.
The Constitutional Council is expected to deliver its verdict in this case on Tuesday, August 5, at 3:00 p.m., according to President Atangana.
The FSNC Dispute
In another case, the Council rejected a petition filed by a self-proclaimed “Provisional Steering Committee” of the FSNC party, which sought to nullify the candidacy of Issa Tchiroma Bakary. The former Minister of Employment and Vocational Training’s candidacy had been validated by ELECAM, but the committee questioned his legitimacy as party leader. The Council dismissed the petition, reaffirming Tchiroma’s candidacy for the 2025 presidential race.
Other Appeals Dismissed or Declared Inadmissible
Several other appeals were either dismissed or declared inadmissible during the August 4 hearings. Benoît Christian Ntimbane Mbomo’s petition, which sought the annulment of ELECAM’s July 26 resolution finalizing the list of candidates, was rejected due to a lack of legal standing.
Independent candidate Aboubakar Kamaldine Bello Yaya had both his petitions, one of which challenged Paul Biya’s candidacy, rejected. Bertin Kisob’s petition was declared inadmissible in absentia, as were those of Bouba Michel and Ramani Yie. Yie’s appeal had requested additional time to complete his candidacy file.
Petitions from Léopold Bessiping of the RFERE party and André Marie Dibamou of the Jeunesse Démocratique du Cameroun were also dismissed. Likewise, Babio Ngono, president of the Ligue Démocrate (LD), had his appeal seeking leniency to complete his party’s application rejected.
Jean Gwet of the Mouvement Patriotique pour le Changement du Cameroun also failed to have his candidacy validated. Meanwhile, a petition filed by Christine Moullende of the Mouvement Progressiste, aimed at invalidating the candidacy of Hilaire Macaire Dzipan, was similarly dismissed.
At around 10:30 p.m., the Constitutional Council announced a suspension of the hearings, with proceedings scheduled to resume on Tuesday, August 5, at 9:30 a.m.
