In a move shaking the foundations of Cameroon's political establishment, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, a seasoned insider of President Paul Biya’s government, has resigned from his ministerial post and announced his presidential candidacy for the upcoming 2025 elections. This is not merely a political reshuffling—it is the symptom of a dying regime.
Resigned Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary and Dr Atanga Marcelius For over four decades, Cameroon has been suffocated by a system built on clientelism, repression, and manufactured stability. But the resignation of Tchiroma—a man who once fiercely defended Biya’s regime as Minister of Communication—screams volumes. For those of us who have bled and battled for justice in Cameroon, this moment confirms what we have always known: change is inevitable.
</A Veteran Breaks the Silence
Tchiroma’s resignation on June 24, 2025, from the Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training, and his declaration to run under the Front for the National Salvation of Cameroon (FSNC), is being read as both a betrayal and a bold act. Once mocked as Biya’s “megaphone,” he now calls for a government that “serves the people, not enslaves them.” His slogan, “Le peuple au pouvoir”, is a direct challenge to the gerontocratic state that Biya has fossilized.
Let’s be honest—Tchiroma was no stranger to the regime's tools of propaganda. But now, like others, he is peeling away from the Biya orbit. The northern bloc, historically pro-CPDM, is fracturing. With Bello Bouba Maigari also announcing his candidacy just days later, the message is clear: even Biya's most loyal regions no longer believe in the myth of continuity.
Why This Matters to Me Personally
As someone who stood at the frontlines of the University of Buea student uprisings, I remember the batons, the arrests, the humiliation—and the raw courage we showed demanding the right to education, fairness, and representation. That fight, though brutally suppressed, taught me one thing: the power structure in Cameroon fears organized resistance.
Later, in the crucible of the Ambazonian revolution, I took on a leadership role—not because it was easy, but because it was necessary. We raised our voices against marginalization, systemic oppression, and a regime that has weaponized the state against its own people. The cries from the Northwest and Southwest are not isolated—they echo across the North, the East, the Littoral, and beyond.
Tchiroma’s shift may seem self-serving to some, but to me, it is evidence of the system collapsing in on itself. Even those who once propped it up are now scrambling for moral redemption or political survival.
The End of an Era? Or the Start of a Revolution?
Cameroon is staring into the face of a generational reckoning. Paul Biya, at 92, represents a bygone era clinging to life through manipulated elections, elite pacts, and brutal security forces. But history has a way of catching up.
The emergence of multiple candidates from within Biya’s own house—Tchiroma, Maigari, and others—signals the breaking of that house from within. It is a moment that opposition forces, revolutionary thinkers, and everyday citizens must seize. Not through shallow party politics, but through a deep reimagining of governance, justice, and unity.
The Road Ahead
Yes, Tchiroma has blood on his hands—metaphorically or otherwise—from years of defending state brutality. But if even he now declares the Biya regime unworkable, we must ask ourselves: What are we still waiting for?
Cameroon is at a fork in the road. One path leads back to repression, recycled faces, and false promises. The other leads to renewal. Not just electoral change, but structural transformation. Power must return to the people—from Buea to Bamenda, Garoua to Bertoua.
And let us be clear: this is not a moment to celebrate any one man—it is a moment to mobilize a movement.
Conclusion: A Call to Courage
As someone who has borne the burden of state violence, I see in this political shift not hope in an individual, but proof that the system is vulnerable. Tchiroma’s candidacy, though controversial, is a crack in the dam.
The time has come for Cameroonians across divides to push forward—louder, smarter, and more united. From student protests to revolutionary calls, from abandoned ballots to bold candidacies, the message is resounding: the old Cameroon is dying.
And we—we who have suffered, struggled, and risen—must build what comes next.
By Dr. Marcelius Atanga
Political Activist | Former Student Leader | Advocate for Justice and Independence of Ambazonia
Editor’s Note:
The views expressed in this opinion piece are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Hilltopvoices Communications Group Ltd or Hilltopvoices Newspaper.
The views expressed in this opinion piece are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Hilltopvoices Communications Group Ltd or Hilltopvoices Newspaper.