Cameroonian lawmaker and the lone woman among Cameroon’s 2025 presidential candidates, Hon. Patricia Tomaïno Ndam Njoya, has expressed regret at the disqualification of opposition leader, Maurice Kamto from the list of 13 candidates for the election.
In a statement on July 27 released after Elections Cameroon published the list of candidates on Saturday, she hoped that the Constitutional Council would do justice to Kamto.
Out of 83 candidacy files submitted, only 13 were approved, a selection Hon. Tomaïno Ndam Njoya sees as significant recognition of her UDC party’s longstanding engagement.
“To be among the 13 retained is meaningful for the UDC, its militants, and sympathizers. It reflects 34 years of active commitment to Cameroon’s political landscape,” she added.
The Union Démocratique du Cameroun (UDC) is a key member of the Platform for the Consensus Reform of the Electoral Code, which saw 5 of its affiliated parties, MP, PCRN, SDF, UMS, and UDC, represented in the final list.
However, she also lamented the exclusion of other allies like MRC and USDP, saying she hoped they would be reinstated through appeals to the Constitutional Council.
“Though we don’t yet know the reasons for their disqualification, we trust the Constitutional Council will do justice. Our strength lies in unity,” she said.
Looking forward, Hon. Tomaïno stressed the importance of unity within the reformist bloc to select a consensus candidate to represent their shared vision for political change, national renewal, and democratic transition.
“The people of Cameroon are thirsty for a New Era, for Change, for Alternance. Whether we use different words, the aspiration is the same,” she noted.
“Together, with those retained and those rejected, we must build a common front, men, women, the elderly, and youth for a new Cameroon.”
She concluded with a call for inclusive participation, especially of women, whose representation in the candidate list remains disproportionately low despite their demographic majority.
“Women, who are more numerous in Cameroon yet remain sidelined, must seize this moment to demand proportional representation.”
Sounding optimistic, she called on all Cameroonians to look toward October 12, 2025, as a defining moment in the country’s political history.
