In the lead-up to Cameroon’s 12 October 2025 presidential election, one familiar name has returned to the centre of national discourse. He is Cabral Libii. The lawyer, legislator, former broadcaster and one-time youngest presidential contender has once again declared his ambition to steer the nation toward what he calls “a new republican era.” His candidacy, officially deposited yesterday17 July, marks a renewed attempt to reframe Cameroon’s political future through youth-driven reform, structural federalism, and institutional change.
Born on the 29th of March 1980 in Ekoamaen, Centre Region, Cabral Libii’s life story is one of early loss, academic resilience, and fierce public engagement. A surviving twin, he was raised by his father, Paul Ngué Ngué, in a Cameroon still grappling with centralised governance and growing generational divides. As a student of law at the University of Yaoundé II, Libii was not content with remaining a mere observer. He took to campus airwaves as director of Radio Campus and later hosted television programmes such as Vox Live on VoxAfrica, becoming a familiar face among Cameroon’s politically curious youth.
But it was his outspoken critique of the Cameroonian electoral system that signalled his entry into the national political arena. In 2017, Libii launched the ambitious “11 Million Voters” campaign which was a nationwide mobilisation to boost civic participation and push back against entrenched political apathy. His message was clear: Cameroon’s future needed to be claimed at the ballot box. At 38, he stood in the 2018 presidential race as the youngest candidate, representing the Univers Party and mentored by legal scholar Professor Prosper Nkou Mvondo. Though he finished third with 6.28% of the vote, his impact was seismic among first-time voters.
Party rep deposit candidacy for Hon Cabral Libii
In the years that followed, Libii expanded his political imprint. He took the helm of the Cameroon Party for National Reconciliation (PCRN) in 2019 and was elected Member of Parliament in 2020 during the municipal and legislative polls. His party’s showing with 210 municipal councillors and elected positions across both the north and south of Cameroon positioned the PCRN as a growing national force.
In Parliament, Libii's sharp rhetoric and legislative ambition earned him the position of Secretary to the Bureau of the National Assembly. That same year, he was elected African Politician of the Year 2019 at the Gold Gifa Awards in Paris which is a continental recognition of his growing influence.
However, 2024 marked a turbulent turn in his political journey. On 28 March, Robert Kona, founding member of the PCRN, announced Libii’s exclusion from the party in a letter to the Minister of Territorial Administration. The move sparked confusion and legal uncertainty over party control, even as Libii continued to act as the party’s de facto leader. Despite this internal rift, the PCRN’s political bureau endorsed his 2025 candidacy in May, affirming his continued leadership and relevance within the movement.
In the same year, his regional influence was also visible on the international stage. On 2 April 2024, Libii attended the inauguration of Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, underscoring his desire to align with a younger generation of African reformists. His presence there was symbolic: a politician still seeking continental inspiration for national renewal.
Despite some controversies, Cabral Libii remains a compelling figure on the campaign trail who is still armed with the energy of a youthful reformer and the experience of a seasoned political actor. His second run for the presidency comes amid a complex national backdrop: calls for electoral reform persist, and tensions remain high over the country’s centralised power structure and fragile regional peace.
This time, he is not the outsider but the seasoned contender. Whether his message will resonate again this time with even broader national support remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: Cabral Libii’s name is now permanently etched into the fabric of Cameroon's evolving political history. And as October 12 approaches, his candidacy will test whether the promises of 2018 can mature into a tangible mandate in 2025.
By Bakah Derick for Hilltopvoices Newsroom
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