Cameroonian opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary has issued a direct appeal to the country’s defence and security forces, asking them to bring him back from The Gambia so he can exercise what he describes as the presidential mandate entrusted to him by Cameroonians.
In a video address released on Monday, July 20, Tchiroma maintained that he was the legitimate winner of Cameroon’s disputed October 2025 presidential election and said he was ready to return home.
“In order to allow me to fully exercise my duty in Cameroon, within the framework of the elective mandate entrusted to me by our people, and to build together a peaceful democracy and a reconciled, united, upright and forward-moving nation, ladies and gentlemen, women and men in uniform, I solemnly ask you to come and take me home from The Gambia, where I find myself under constraint and in forced exile,” he said.
“I am eager to be by the side of my people, the Cameroonian people who elected me, and to serve them with all my loyalty for a brighter future.”
Tchiroma speaks directly to Cameroon’s military
Tchiroma has made relatively few video appearances since relocating to The Gambia following the disputed presidential election and the deadly unrest that followed.
The Gambian government confirmed in November 2025 that it was temporarily hosting him on humanitarian grounds to ensure his safety.
In his latest address, the former government minister directed much of his message specifically at members of Cameroon’s armed forces.
“Remember, you have sworn an oath to protect the Cameroonian people,” he told the country’s soldiers and other security personnel.
Tchiroma said he remained outside Cameroon because of what he described as the force and illegality used by the government of President Paul Biya following the election.
He argued that more than nine months after the vote, the authorities in Yaoundé had refused to organise a democratic transfer of power.
Claims more than 70% of Cameroonians voted for him
Tchiroma also claimed that members of the military had overwhelmingly voted for him and that, when their votes were combined with those of the wider population, he had secured more than 70% of the total vote.
That figure differs sharply from the official results announced by Cameroon’s Constitutional Council, which declared Biya the winner with 53.66% of the vote. Tchiroma was officially credited with 35.19%.
Tchiroma and other opposition figures rejected those results, alleging widespread electoral fraud. The government denied the accusations, while the Constitutional Council’s decision was final and could not be appealed.
Biya was subsequently sworn in for another seven-year term on November 6, 2025.
Tchiroma has continued to present himself as Cameroon’s elected president and has repeatedly called for the official results to be overturned.
Promises stronger and more professional army
Seeking to reassure the armed forces, Tchiroma promised to improve the status and working conditions of military personnel under his leadership.
“Under my leadership, I will ensure a more professional and stronger army, with a status that matches your role, the risks and the threats we all face,” he said.
His appeal represents one of his most direct public messages to Cameroon’s military since the presidential election.
It also comes amid renewed questions over the prolonged absence of President Biya.
The Presidency announced that Biya and First Lady Chantal Biya left Yaoundé on June 7 for what it described as a “brief private stay” in Europe. By Monday, July 20, the president had been outside the country for 43 days, with no official return announced.
Tchiroma did not explain how he expected the military to respond to his request or provide details of any formal arrangements for his return.
At the time of publication, MMI News had not seen an official response from the Cameroonian government or the country’s defence and security forces to his appeal.