Former government spokesperson Issa Tchiroma Bakary has declared himself the winner of Cameroon’s 12 October presidential election, challenging long-time leader Paul Biya, who has ruled the country for more than four decades.
Tchiroma Bakary, 76, told the BBC that he would “never accept stolen votes,” claiming his team’s tally shows him leading with about 55% of the vote. The official results, due to be announced Monday, are expected to be disputed amid mounting tensions.
The ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) dismissed Bakary’s declaration as “illegal,” insisting that only the Constitutional Council can certify the results.
A former transport and communications minister under Biya, Bakary broke with the president earlier this year, accusing him of leading a country “in the service of one man.” His defection and subsequent campaign drew massive crowds, particularly in the Anglophone west, where frustration over marginalisation and conflict runs deep.
The election period has been marked by anxiety in a nation already battling separatist violence in the English-speaking regions and a Boko Haram insurgency in the north. Security patrols have increased in Garoua and Douala as citizens await the final results.
Despite his past as Biya’s defender during government crackdowns, Bakary has apologised for his role in silencing criticism and now presents himself as a reformist alternative.
“The nation knows it, the world knows it,” he said. “The people have chosen change.”