Cameroon’s Opposition Cries Foul: 92-Year-Old President Accused of Plotting to Turn Defeat into “Victory”

Cameroon’s presidential election concluded recently, but results have yet to be released — and opposition leaders allege that long-ruling President Paul Biya is orchestrating a plan to turn his defeat into a victory. They have appealed to the international community to prevent what they call an “unfair power grab.”

The 92-year-old president, who has ruled Cameroon for 43 years, is seeking to extend his grip on power by contesting the presidency for the eighth time. Biya is currently the world’s oldest sitting head of state.

Former Nigerian APC deputy national publicity secretary Timi Frank called on world leaders — including former U.S. President Donald Trump — to recognize opposition candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary as the legitimate winner and to impose sanctions on Biya’s government.

Frank, who shared polling-station and regional counting data, insisted that the numbers “clearly show Issa Tchiroma Bakary as the lawful winner” of the election.

Violence  In  Every Corner

Reports from Cameroon describe a tense post-election atmosphere marked by intimidation, harassment, and violence against citizens protesting alleged electoral fraud.

Paul Biya, Africa’s longest-serving leader, has refused to relinquish power despite growing domestic rejection — a stance widely condemned as a mockery of democracy.

Nine candidates ran against Biya. His main challenger, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, is a former government spokesman. Another prominent opposition figure, Maurice Kamto, 71, who was widely viewed as Biya’s toughest rival, was barred from running after the Constitutional Council disqualified his candidacy in August.

The election took place amid decades of political stagnation, rising living costs, and deep social unrest. Opposition parties accuse the electoral commission of acting as an arm of the ruling party. Of Cameroon’s 7.8 million registered voters, many have no memory of any leader other than Biya, who has ruled since 1982.

Voter turn over in Question

Since 2017, the crisis in the English-speaking regions has left thousands dead and over 700,000 displaced. The ongoing conflict in the Anglophone areas and the insurgency in the north have significantly reduced voter turnout in recent years.

So frail that he rarely appears in public, Biya attended only one campaign rally this time. His continued hold on power has become so controversial that both Catholic Archbishop Samuel Kleda and Biya’s own daughter, Brenda Biya, publicly urged him to retire, sparking heated debate ahead of the election.