By Njodzeka Kernyuy
Cameroon’s former Minister of Employment, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, has convened a press conference on July 25 at La Falaise Hotel in Yaounde to address his tenure in government and outline his vision as a presidential candidate for the October 2025 election.
The event will be his first public briefing since resigning last month from President Paul Biya’s administration to pursue the presidency under the National Salvation Front (FSNC) party.
Tchiroma, who served as Minister of Transport, Minister of Communication, and Minister of Employment and Vocational Training, has faced scrutiny for his past roles since resigning from the government in June.
Following his resignation last month, he wrote an open letter to Cameroonians, accusing the Biya regime of failing to deliver in its 42 years in power.
He also claimed, without evidence, that 92-year-old Paul Biya was no longer the one making decisions for the nation. He said he had not had an audience with the president for years.
During a recent convention of the opposition Liberal Alliance Party in Yaounde, where he was a guest, Tchiroma strongly criticized Biya’s government, insisting that time for change had come.
However, despite his vocal criticism since leaving office, Tchiroma’s past continues to haunt him.
As Minister of Communication and government spokesperson between 2009 and 2019, he defended government policies that he now opposes.
Many still remember his initial defense on the killing of women and children in the Far North Region by military officers, before he later changed his stance and announced the arrest of the perpetrators.
He had equally, in several cases, downplayed the existence of the Anglophone Crisis in the English-speaking regions, where over 6,000 people have been killed since 2016.
He openly denied military brutality, despite human rights reports showing evidence of the army’s involvement in abuses on civilians.
However, Mr Tchiroma has taken a u-turn since June 2025, and now believes that minority English-speaking North West and South West regions deserve a voice.
At the Yaounde press conference, he is expected to address his past roles in government and reveal his manifesto for the upcoming Presidential election, where he is among the declared candidates.
According to our sources, Tchiroma aims to re-establish the truth in the face of recurrent accusations affecting his image. He wants to present his record in the various Ministries where he has served the Republic, and also officially announce his candidacy and outline his vision for Cameroon.
His party, the National Salvation Front (FSNC), stated that he will call on all active forces to build a peaceful, ethical and inclusive transition.
The press conference is themed, “A single mandate to rebuild, reconcile and pass on”.
