By Tata Mbunwe
Veteran human rights lawyer and outspoken supporter of opposition leader Maurice Kamto, Alice Nkom, has issued a strong rebuttal to President Paul Biya’s social media remarks on freedom and responsibility, accusing the regime of undermining democracy by rejecting Kamto’s candidacy for the 2025 presidential election.
Alice Nkom’s statement, delivered with her usual firmness, frames the exclusion of Kamto, the candidate of the MANIDEM party, as a deliberate attack on Cameroon’s democratic principles and a betrayal of the nation’s commitment to fair elections.
In response to Biya’s assertion that “freedom is not to be confused with anarchy” and that “the exercise of freedom implies conscience and responsibility,” she offered a counterargument.
“We agree: Freedom is not anarchy. But the confiscation of the right to choose is not responsibility either,” she said.
Her statement, which has been shared widely on platforms, is part of numerous criticisms the regime has received for throwing out Kamto from the presidential race by Elections Cameroon (ELECAM).
Nkom noted that true freedom entails the right to participate in elections when all legal conditions are met.
“The liberty is in being able to run in an election when one meets all the conditions,” she stated.
She accused the regime of committing “a grave error” by arbitrarily excluding a legitimate candidate like Kamto, whose significant popular support has been acknowledged even by critics.
“Conscience is recognizing that the arbitrary exclusion of a legitimate candidate is a serious fault,” she asserted.
The lawyer further argued that responsibility lies in ensuring an equitable electoral process, not in stifling competition.
“Responsibility is guaranteeing a fair electoral process, not locking down democracy,” she said, directly challenging Biya’s administration for what she and other opposition figures, including Akere Muna and Célestin Djamen, have labeled as manipulative tactics by ELECAM and the judiciary.
Maurice Kamto’s candidacy was rejected among 70 others, as only 13 applicants were retained out of 83 files ELECAM received.
ELECAM claims that Kamto’s application was rejected because MANIDEM filed multiple candidates.
However, this was a similar problem facing parties such as Univers which invested Barrister Akere Muna as its candidate, and the CPDM of President Paul Biya.
Akere Muna, a validated candidate under the UNIVERS party, expressed “deep concern” over the lack of transparency, following Kamto’s candidacy file rejection.
Other figures such as political activist Alice Sadio have also warned that Cameroon risks becoming “the laughingstock of sub-Saharan Africa” due to its democratic backslide.
Maurice Kamto’s MANIDEM party has appealed against the ELECAM verdict and is now waiting for the Constitutional Council’s decision.
