Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary has sparked nationwide debate with a dramatic open letter that suggests Cameroon’s long-time leader, President Paul Biya, will not seek re-election in this year’s presidential election.
In the 24-page message addressed to the Cameroonian people, Tchiroma describes the upcoming presidential election as “a historic turning point, potentially the first election without incumbent Paul Biya as a candidate.”
Though he stops short of confirming Biya’s retirement, the phrasing is widely interpreted as the most direct suggestion yet from within the ruling elite that the 92-year-old Paul Biya may step aside after more than four decades in power.
Tchiroma’s statement marks a significant turn from his previous loyalty.
In a televised interview during the 2018 presidential campaign, he declared that his little-known Cameroon National Salvation Party (FSNC) was supporting President Biya.
“The FSNC will support Biya until God decides otherwise.” That statement reflected years of unwavering support from the FSNC, a party he created after breaking away from the UNDP party, toward the Biya regime.
Now, seven years later, Tchiroma’s tone has dramatically shifted. Without naming Biya directly, he frames the current system as one that has “exhausted its legitimacy” and calls for a “peaceful but urgent transition” to a new political order.
Tchiroma’s Manifesto
The letter reads like a manifesto for generational change and national renewal.
“Power belongs to the people, not to an individual or a clique,” Tchiroma asserts, adding that “2025 must be the moment when the nation chooses unity over division, renewal over stagnation.”
He envisions a “republican transition” anchored in justice, inclusive governance, and human dignity, describing 2025 as a “moral and existential rendezvous between the Cameroonian nation and its conscience.”
Importantly, Tchiroma emphasizes that “the Cameroon of tomorrow will be young, or it will not be,” a veiled but unmistakable critique of the gerontocratic political class that has dominated the country since independence.
Tchiroma concludes his address with a rallying cry that doubles as a campaign slogan: “It is time to return power to the people.”
As Cameroon heads toward what could be its first post-Biya election, Tchiroma’s carefully worded letter raises new questions and hopes about the future leadership of the Central African nation.
Whether Biya confirms his retirement or not, the stage appears set for a contentious and transformative 2025 presidential race.
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