Cameroon’s political scene is intensifying as opposition candidates prepare to contest the October 12 presidential election, where 92-year-old President Paul Biya, Africa’s longest-serving leader and the world’s oldest head of state, seeks yet another term that could keep him in office until nearly 100. Several seasoned politicians and a younger contender are positioning themselves as alternatives to Biya’s decades-long rule, each bringing distinct political bases and strategies.
Issa Tchiroma Bakary
Former employment minister and longtime government spokesperson Issa Tchiroma Bakary made headlines in June when he defected from Biya’s government to launch his presidential campaign. In his announcement, Tchiroma declared, “A country cannot exist in the service of one man. It must live in the service of its people.” His candidacy could reshape the political dynamics of Cameroon’s northern regions, which have historically backed Biya’s Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM).
Now leading the Cameroon National Salvation Front, a party he founded in 2007 after breaking from the CPDM, Tchiroma, 76, has served in multiple ministerial roles, including transport and communications. Despite his age, he is presenting himself as an advocate for Cameroon’s youth, criticizing the current system as unfit to meet “the demands of a connected, digital, and fast-paced world.”
Bello Bouba Maigari
Another heavyweight challenger is Bello Bouba Maigari, who declared his candidacy shortly after Tchiroma. A veteran of Cameroonian politics, Bouba was the country’s first prime minister under Biya in 1982 and later ran against him in 1992, finishing third with nearly 20% of the vote in the country’s first multi-party election.
Bouba, 78, also hails from the north, further complicating Biya’s ability to retain support in this crucial region of more than 2.5 million voters. His bid has been strengthened by the withdrawal of two opposition contenders, Ateki Seta Caxton and Akere Muna, who have endorsed him. His long career in government, most recently as tourism minister, makes him one of Biya’s most prominent challengers to date.
Cabral Libii
Representing a younger generation is Cabral Libii, a 45-year-old lawyer, academic, and former radio presenter. Known for his outspoken stance on youth empowerment, Libii has positioned himself as a reformist candidate who can bring fresh energy to Cameroon’s leadership. In 2018, he placed third in the presidential race but rejected the results, claiming they did not “reflect reality.”
Libii has continued to highlight his age advantage, often drawing comparisons to leaders like Senegal’s Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who is nearly his peer. He famously remarked after Faye’s election win that “a new wind began to blow across Africa and it will cross Cameroon in 2025.” Libii’s support base is particularly strong among young, urban Francophone voters, giving him a potentially powerful constituency.
Joshua Osih
Joshua Osih, 56, heads the opposition Social Democratic Front (SDF), a party that once posed Biya’s most significant challenge under its late founder John Fru Ndi. Since assuming leadership in 2023, Osih has resisted coalition calls, maintaining that the SDF alone is capable of unseating Biya.
A businessman and legislator from the Anglophone regions, Osih has pledged to “rescue Cameroon” by 2026, laying out a detailed platform that emphasizes ending the separatist conflict in the English-speaking regions within his first 100 days in office. His plan directly addresses one of Cameroon’s most pressing crises, presenting him as a candidate capable of tackling long-standing national divisions.
The Road Ahead
With Biya aiming for an eighth term and facing a fragmented but increasingly assertive opposition, the October election represents one of the most consequential in Cameroon’s modern history. Each challenger is attempting to rally distinct voter blocs, from disenchanted northern communities to urban youth and Anglophone minorities. Whether they unite behind a single figure or remain divided could ultimately determine whether Biya’s decades-long dominance continues or finally comes to an end.
