The Third Vice President of the Cameroon Senate, Senator Nfor Tabetando, says President Paul Biya will be the CPDM candidate in the upcoming presidential election not because the constitution mandates it, but because of his track record and vision.
“We, the militants of the party, have repeatedly over and again said he is our candidate, not necessarily by a constitution of the party, but by his deeds and works, by his posture, by his dreams, and by his visionary ability,” Tabetando stated.
The CPDM Senator from Manyu Division was speaking Monday at the Unity Palace after a meeting with Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, Secretary General at the Presidency, aimed at laying the groundwork for Biya’s re-election campaign.
It was the turn of CPDM Members of Parliament and Ministers from the South West Region to meet with Ngoh Ngoh, as part of ongoing regional consultations to fine-tune strategies for Biya’s candidacy.
According to Tabetando, Biya’s candidacy is a settled matter.
“It’s agreed. We have also come to reaffirm to him through our Secretary General of the presidency that he should tell him that we have adopted an irreversible position that come October 25, he’s going to be our party candidate,” he said.
“We are going to vote for him with a major percentage, more than 100.”
Biya’s Candidacy Still Unconfirmed
Despite repeated declarations from CPDM party elites, President Biya, now 92, has not publicly confirmed whether he will run for re-election.
The uncertainty has stirred internal tensions within the CPDM, as some members have already signaled their intentions to contest in the presidential race.
The party rules state that a Congress must choose a presidential candidate, but the last CPDM Congress took place in 2011, despite the requirement for it to occur every five years.
While some part figures, such as the CPDM Communication Secretary Prof. Jacques Fame Ndongo, have asserted that Biya will run, others remain silent or ambiguous.
Tabetando’s statement adds to a growing chorus within the ruling party reaffirming support for Biya.
“A lot of press publications and social media are carrying stories which are indeed misleading because some don’t know whether our Head of State, who is the chairman of our party CPDM, is going to be a candidate or not,” Tabetando said.
“But we have come to be reminded that he is our candidate.”
CPDM South West ‘Fully Behind Biya’
Senator Tabetando also emphasized that CPDM militants in the South West Region stand firmly behind the long-time president.
“We the people of Southwest are committed. We know that President Biya is answerable to the people of the Southwest. He’s a friend. He’s a father to the people of the Southwest religion,” he stated.
He dismissed rising opposition voices as insignificant.
“All these mushroom parties coming up – of course it’s democracy, but you know that disciples are people that you cannot come to take for granted,” he said.
He added that the delegation’s meeting at the presidency was a show of unwavering support and loyalty to President Biya.
With less than four months to the presidential election, the ruling CPDM continues to face questions and internal divisions, as the country awaits official confirmation of Biya’s candidacy.
In power since 1982, Paul Biya is one of the world’s longest-serving leaders.
