This morning, as the Constitutional Council begins hearing petitions from aspiring presidential candidates whose nominations were rejected by Elections Cameroon (ELECAM), all eyes will turn to the man who must guide the proceedings with both firmness and fairness. Clément Atangana, the 83‑year‑old President of the Council, stands at the centre of a process that could alter the shape of the 12 October presidential race.
Born on 20 September 1941 in Ekoumeyek village, in Ngomedzap subdivision, Nyong et So’o Division, Centre Region, Clément Atangana’s journey from a rural classroom to the pinnacle of Cameroon’s judiciary is a justification of determination and intellectual discipline.
He passed through the venerable halls of Collège François Xavier Vogt in Yaoundé, later moving to the Lycée de Manengouba in Nkongsamba where he earned his baccalauréat in experimental sciences. His academic path led him to the Faculty of Law and Economic Sciences at the Federal University of Cameroon, where he secured his degree in private law before enrolling at the prestigious École Nationale d’Administration et de Magistrature (ENAM).
A further stint at the Institut International d’Administration Publique in Paris broadened his understanding of governance beyond national borders. On 20 December 1968, he entered the magistracy and that was the beginning of a long and decorated judicial career.
From the very start, Atangana demonstrated a steady, methodical approach to the bench. He served as examining magistrate in Nkongsamba, then presided over courts in Eséka, Bafia, Mora and Sangmélima, each time bearing the dual responsibility of dispensing justice and defending the public interest.
His ascent took him through the higher courts of Douala and Yaoundé, ultimately presiding over the Yaoundé High Court. He later became Deputy Director of Judicial Affairs and the Seal at the Ministry of Justice, Attorney General at the Court of Appeal in the North, and President of the Centre Court of Appeal.
At the Supreme Court, he served as both counsellor and President of the Administrative Chamber, a position requiring both legal mastery and political tact.
Since 1997, Atangana has presided over the National Commission for the General Census of Votes for legislative and presidential elections, giving him an intimate knowledge of Cameroon’s electoral machinery. This role often carried out far from the glare of television lights honed his ability to work at the intersection of law, politics, and public trust.
It was perhaps no surprise then that when President Paul Biya finally enacted the long-delayed provision of the 1996 Constitution to create a Constitutional Council, it was Clément Atangana’s name that was read over the national broadcaster’s evening news on 7 February 2018. He became the first man to head the institution designed to serve as the supreme arbiter in constitutional and electoral disputes.
Beyond national duties, Atangana has served three terms as a member of the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. He is also a full member of Cameroon’s Higher Council of the Magistracy and an Officer of the National Order of Valour.
In his personal life, he is a husband and father of eight seen as a man whose quiet domestic commitments stand in contrast to the magnitude of the decisions he must make in public life.
Today, as he presides over the petitions of those challenging ELECAM’s decision to reject their candidacies for the 12 October presidential election, Atangana must once again inhabit the role that has defined his career: the calm, almost stoic judge whose words carry the authority of the Constitution itself.
In an era where public trust in institutions is fragile, the Constitutional Council’s decisions will be scrutinised not only for their legal soundness but also for their fairness. Clément Atangana’s decades on the bench have taught him that justice, to be effective, must not only be done but must be seen to be done.
The man from Ekoumeyek may have spent his career in the quiet corridors of Cameroon’s courts, but this week, his voice will echo far beyond into the political future of the nation.
By Bakah Derick for Hilltopvoices Newsroom
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