Post-election tensions in Cameroon escalated on Wednesday after Opposition FSNC candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary denounced the alleged kidnapping of his regional representative in Bafoussam, western region of the country, while the government accused him of attempting to destabilize the country before official results are announced.
In a statement released Wednesday morning, Tchiroma claimed that his party delegate was being detained at the Bafoussam courthouse and pressured to sign a “falsified report” crediting victory to outgoing President Paul Biya. He insisted that the “real and incontestable results” showed he had secured “more than 80% of the vote.”
Tchiroma urged national and international observers to “go immediately to the scene” and called on journalists to witness events firsthand.
His remarks came a day after a press release from the Ministry of Territorial Administration (MINAT), which denounced his statements as “imposture” and “irresponsible behaviour.” Minister Atanga Nji Paul accused Tchiroma of leading a “conspiratorial and anti-republican approach” intended to disrupt the electoral process and “set Cameroon ablaze.”
MINAT emphasized that, in accordance with Article 137 of the Electoral Code, only the Constitutional Council is authorized to proclaim election results. It also stressed that, according to observers deployed across all ten regions, voting took place “without major incident.”
Tchiroma had already declared himself the winner on the night of October 12, describing his victory as “crushing” and warning state institutions “not to make themselves enemies of the people.”
The official results of the presidential election are expected by October 26, 2025, in line with the Constitutional Council’s timetable.
