Four Political Bitter Divorces After October 12 Presidential Election

Prior to the presidential election on October 12, four political parties – UNIVERS, FDC, PAL, and MCNC – received political suitors whom they endorsed to run for the highest office in the land.

Unfortunately, the unions did not last for up to three months. All of these parties have fallen out with their candidates for one reason or another.

Ateki Seta Caxton versus Liberal Alliance Party (PAL)

On July 12, 2025, it was a moment of euphoria at the Yaounde Conference Centre when Celestine Bedzigui, President of PAL, announced that the party had endorsed Ateki Seta Caxton to run for President.

The 39-year-old Ateki accepted the political mantle, hoping to unseat Paul Biya, who has been in power for 43 years.

One month after the endorsement and validation by the Constitutional Council, Ateki laid out his roadmap for Cameroon and how he would execute it if elected.

He always had Celestine Bedzigui, the party owner, by his side. They were at the PAL president’s house drawing up their policies, went to ELECAM together to file for the candidacy, and were also together at Yahoot Hotel to unveil the roadmap.

When talks about a coalition were looming, Celestine Bedzigui attended two meetings in Yaounde and Foumban on behalf of the candidate. One of PAL’s resolutions was that, while endorsing Ateki, they were open to a coalition.

When campaigns were launched, Ateki Seta Caxton, under the guidance of Celestine Bedzigui, joined camps with Bello Bouba. However, they could not withdraw from the race because the deadline stipulated by the electoral code had long expired.

After the election on October 12, Ateki Seta Caxton became the first person to congratulate Issa Tchiroma Bakary, presidential candidate of the Cameroon National Salvation Front, who claimed victory.

That was the beginning of the divorce process. After Ateki’s congratulations, Celestine Bedzigui, using official PAL letterhead, responded by calling Ateki an opportunist. While Ateki boycotted all subsequent events, Celestine Bedzigui was the first politician to congratulate Biya following the Constitutional Council’s announcement. That was not the end; he also attended the National Assembly for Biya’s inauguration.

As of now, we do not know what political plans Ateki has. His campaign manager, Fabrice Lena, was recently detained, and it is alleged that the reasons are political.

Hiram Samuel Iyodi Versus Cameroon Democrat Front (FDC)

Hiram was the youngest candidate in the election. He was nominated by the FDC. From the very beginning, it was a sweet moment between him and Denis Atangana Emilien, President of the FDC. They held press conferences together at the Djeuga Palace Hotel and other meetings in Yaounde. They went to ELECAM together. But on the campaign trail, it was Hiram and his team, while the FDC president was nowhere to be found.

Their problems started on October 13, one day after the election, when Denis Atangana organized a press conference declaring the incumbent the winner.

Hiram, through his MP3 movement, stated that he did not acknowledge Biya’s victory and severed ties with the FDC. When ELECAM published the list for the National Vote Counting Commission, the FDC representative was Denis Atangana. This prompted Hiram to react, stating that he did not recognize Atangana and appointing a different person. While Hiram may have returned to managing his company as an industrialist, Denis was at the National Assembly for the swearing-in ceremony.

Akere Muna Versus UNIVERS

The renowned barrister at law and former president of the Cameroon Bar Association announced his intention to run, several parties were at his door offering him their ticket. UNIVERS, UPC, and PAP were all behind him.

However, he needed to be validated by ELECAM and the Constitutional Council. He chose UNIVERS, which had a representative, a condition for eligibility stipulated by the electoral code.

Unlike the others, Akere fell out with UNIVERS before the presidential election. Prof. Nkou Mvondo, president of UNIVERS, allegedly threatened Akere with a lawsuit. No reason has ever been given for their divorce, but rumors suggested that Nkou Mvondo did not want Akere to form a coalition with Bello Bouba Maigari, the presidential candidate for the National Union for Democracy and Progress.

Though Akere, like Ateki, lined up behind Maigari, the stipulated deadline had passed. That gave Nkou Mvondo the opportunity to collect the campaign funds from the Ministry of Territorial Administration.

Akere campaigned for only one day before joining Bello’s team and urging his followers to do the same. After the election, Akere, like Ateki, immediately congratulated Issa Tchiroma Bakary and urged Paul Biya to concede defeat. To this day, we cannot properly explain what the conflict was between Akere and Nkou Mvondo of UNIVERS. Akere has been making statement but not with UNIVERS letterhead.

Dr. Jacques Bouhga Hagbe Versus MCNC

Dr. Bouhga, after resigning from the IMF, came straight home and received a presidential ticket from Jean Monthe, president of the Cameroon National Citizen Movement (MCNC). Of all the unions, this was the longest, even though it did not exceed three months.

They appeared to be doing okay without any issues. During the campaign launch in Douala, they acted as if the honeymoon was never going to end.

However, despite that public show, a problem still erupted. While parties’ representatives collected campaign funds from MINAT, Dr. Bouhga went personally to collect his.

After the proclamation by the Constitutional Council, he sent a powerful congratulatory message to Paul Biya.

The public knew little about the problems in the union. On Thursday, November 6, Dr. Bouhga attended two swearings-in at the National Assembly. Whatever happened, we do not know. That evening, he released a letter announcing his resignation from the party.

He stated that his reasons were that while others disputed the presidential election results by challenging them at the Constitutional Council, MCNC did not. He also stated that despite failing to file a complaint, the MCNC did not support those who were in court challenging the results. To him, by not doing that, the MCNC was undermining the institutions put in place.

Bouhga’s reasons for leaving the party stand in contrast to his actions. The party did not challenge the results, yet Bouhga congratulated Biya. The party is not saying anything about the institutions in place, yet Bouhga attended the swearing-in. Bouhga is trying to look good on both sides; that is our understanding.

MMI News