October 12th, 2025, will enter history books as the day Cameroonians listened to their President (BIYA PAUL) and voted peacefully in a free and fair election that saw the participation of over eight million voters at home and abroad. The young, the old, the handicapped, women, men, soldiers, rural dwellers, city dwellers, muslims, christians and commoners of all works of life thronged polling stations with their voters cards to make their voices heard. Some were even accompanied by their children. They joyfully lined up in their hundreds and even thousands for long hours and cast their votes hitch-free. There was no shouting, no fighting and not even violent verbal exchanges. Once again, the deep understanding between Paul BIYA and the people of Cameroon was on display for all to see and admire.
International and local observers watched in admiration as voters all over the national territory obeyed the call for a peaceful election. After voting one could see supporters of one candidate strolling hand-in-hand with supporters of another candidate, smiling as they left the polling station. Supporters of different candidates were seen in bars sharing a beer, a regular past-time in this mosaic of tribes, cultures and religions called Cameroon. The voters did exactly what PRESIDENT PAUL BIYA asked them to do – vote in peace.
Unfortunately, in the evening of election day, internal and external enemies of the Cameroonian people reared their ugly heads by illegally deploying a massive pre-arranged campaign of publishing results that had nothing to do with the reality. Cameroonians of all works of life were shocked to see these prefabricated results as they inundated their phones. Some candidates perceiving defeat started open preparations to anticipate the legal election results declaring institutions of the state. Some even said they will not wait for the official results.
This leaves Cameroonians wondering. Why would a candidate who obeyed the whole electoral process rules, regulations and laws suddenly want to bye-pass the final phase which is the legalization of results? Why will someone (ISSA CHIROMA) start claiming that he is receiving death-threats on the eve of an election which he himself claims he won? Why is he refusing to wait for the official results if he knows that he won? Cameroonians who have time-and-again stated that politicians like ISSA TCHIROMA BAKARY have no vision for the country have been comforted in their assessment. Why would a candidate who said the elections were peaceful suddenly claim he is a CHIROMA (a war title in the PEUL traditions of GAROUA)? Is ISSA CHIROAM BAKARY abandoning an electoral process that vetted him and allowed him to campaign everywhere for arms?
How can someone who claims he has won the election try to start an insurrection in his own village? What is he afraid of? Is waiting for the election result to long? Has he suddenly forgot that there is an after-election judicial procedure that must be followed by all candidates?
Why would someone who has been in government for over two decades and who as government spokesman asked election candidates to wait for the official results suddenly start announcing his own results a few weeks after he left government? Cameroonians remember the ISSA CHIROMA who threatened opposition candidates with long jail time if they attempted to publish results. Cameroonians remember this government spokesman when he was saying candidates publish results because they know they did not win the election. Cameroonians fully remember the ISSA CHIROMA who advised government to shut down the internet during the 2018 presidential election when he was Minister of Communication and was only stopped from doing so by President PAUL BIYA. what an insult to the intelligence of Cameroonians.
When Cameroonians see discredited candidates like AKERE MUNA claim that there was election fraud, this shocks Cameroonians. This is a politician who abandoned his own campaign to support BELLO BOUA MAIGARI without the consent of his party or followers (if at all he had any). AKERE MUNA who’s ballot paper was in polling stations after he stopped campaigning for himself, now claims that there was fraud against BELLO BOUA MAIGARI who himself has not said there was fraud. AKERE is not saying that there was fraud against him. No wonder many have said the Cameroon opposition political class is a world curiosity.
As Cameroonians watch unofficial and mostly fabricated results being circulated on social media and in their phones, many are asking if they come from the election they participated in. Social media results have produced social media presidents who remained only in social media in many countries because they are many light-years away from the reality usually reflected in the official results. Even publishing a few results from a dozen polling stations has nothing to do for an election that had over 36,000 polling stations.
Cameroonians are waiting for the official results patiently and peacefully. The CHIROMAS AND AKERES can continue their social media circus considering social media has a given voice to everyone. Many now believe they will be installed presidents on social media and they will rule their social media countries. The followers on tik-tok, or the likes on youtube, facebook, Instagram, snapchat etc do not usually translate into victory at the constitutional council. Citizens of Cameroon have matured to know the difference.
Once again, it is evident that Cameroonians will adhere to the call of President PAUL BIYA to accept the official results that will be announced by the constitutional council. One will not be surprised to see supporters of different candidates in a beer-parlor sharing a friendly drink as they follow the official election result announcement on television to the chagrin of the losing politicians who tried to divide.
A BIG BRAVO TO THE PEOPLE OF CAMEROON AND THEIR ILLUSTRIOUS PRESIDENT-PAUL BIYA.
