Some twelve traditional rulers under the banner of Cameroon National Council of Traditional rulers have issued a declaration endorsing 91-year old incumbent President Paul Biya who has been in power since 1982 and counting to be candidate at October 2025 presidential elections.
The declaration was the outcome of a meeting which held in Yaounde January 27 allegedly bringing together 200 traditional rulers from the ten regions of the country.
Three traditional rulers from the crisis-hit English-speaking North West and South West regions signed the position statement.
A copy of the declaration which MMI obtained a copy carries the names of Chief Tabe Tando Ndiepso of Bachou-Ntai Village in the South West region, Fon Chafah Isaac of Bangolan and Fon Sehm Mbinglo of Nso- all from the North West region.
These Fons according to MMI findings had long fled their palaces electing residence in the capital Yaoundé as a result of the more than eight years long armed conflict that is ravaging the Anglophone regions.
Low Endorsement
While reports say many kings and chiefs from the two regions attended, it is unclear why only three approved the endorsement with their signatures appended in the final declaration.
“Three traditional rulers cannot speak for the Chiefs and Fons from the North West and South West regions,” a commentator told MMI. “This should not be used to generalise and include traditional leaders who did not approve of it and remain neutral in serving their populations.”
Three Fons from the Anglophone regions stand apart, while eight traditional rulers from the French-speaking regions approved the Biya endorsement. This raises concerns about the legitimacy of such a declaration, which the media projects as the position of around 13,000 Chiefdoms spread across the national territory.
