Professor Maurice Kamto
By Lawrence Kenfor
The Presidential bid by Professor Maurice Kamto under the MANIDEM ticket has since kept regime barons rattling in apparent panic over the unknown.
Multiple reactions from regime barons and other opponents have been pouring in condemning in disagreement, wishing the new twist hit another turbulence.
In a dramatic turn of events ahead of Cameroon’s 2025 presidential election, opposition leader Maurice Kamto seeks to vie for the top seat on a different political outfit, MANIDEM.
Kamto, hitherto President of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (MRC), had long been expected to run for office. However, his campaign was to face obstacles when Interior Minister Paul Atanga Nji announced during the governor’s meeting that Kamto’s candidacy could be rejected because it violated the text governing elections. The minister’s warning added fuel to speculation of political interference, raising concerns about electoral fairness. He also warned that order must reign before and during elections, calling on those hoping to sow seeds of disorder to be on the watch.
“ We will leave no stone unturned in maintaining law and order. Our Moulinex is ready to crush anyone who attempt to disrupt the elections” the minister warned.
But Kamto has unexpectedly defied the pressure. On July 15, he officially filed his candidacy under MANIDEM in accordance with Article 123 of Cameroon’s electoral code, taking his distractors unawares.
What’s more surprising: Kamto will not represent the MRC, his longtime political vehicle. Instead, he is now the official candidate of MANIDEM, the African Movement for New Independence and Democracy, within the opposition coalition, Alliance Politique pour le Changement (APC).
The Minister of Territorial Administration Paul Atanga Nji was prompted to comment in reaction to Maurice Kamto’s decision to submit his presidential candidacy under the Manidem banner.
As guest on CRTV’s “Actualités Hebdo” Sunday, 20th July, the Minister made mocking comment about the party chaired by Anicet Ekane.
“He hung on a small tree to present his candidacy,” declared Paul Atanga Nji.
“Events have proven me right,” added Paul Atanga Nji, asserting that it was necessary to “expose lies and manipulation.”
Paul Atanga Nji notes that to date, ” the MRC party has not presented a candidate. Which confirms, according to him, that events have proven him right.
“You let people dream, assuring you can present a candidate, and you prepare people for an insurrection in case of denial. I say no. He must not deceive people and he is a man of the law. I am speaking to him. In the end, he went to a small party and the truth triumphed,” said Paul Atanga Nji.
Jean de Dieu Momo, Minister Delegate for Justice, is also among those who raised legal questions, arguing that Kamto violated the law governing political party activity in Cameroon by belonging to two political parties.
Like Jean de Dieu and Atanga Nji, anothe regime baron, Minister Gregoire Owona thinks change of party at short notice is in complete violation of the electoral law.
But Kamto addressed these criticisms at a press conference over the weekend by explaining his resignation from the MRC was a necessary step to avoid legal ambiguity and prepare for the presidential election. He also noted the risks involved in seeking nomination from the MRC, particularly due to legal and political obstacles.
He described Manidem as a resilient alternative in the struggle for Cameroon’s emancipation. According to Kamto, this choice is not merely a maneuver to support his presidential bid. It also reflects his desire to align with a movement embodying nationalism and the fight for independence, ideals he also championed within the MRC.
