Hermine Patricia Tomaïno Ndam Njoya, the sole female contender in Cameroon’s 2025 presidential race, stepped firmly into the spotlight on Saturday as she convened a gathering of opposition leaders in Foumban. Against the backdrop of the city’s deep political history, the Union Démocratique du Cameroun (UDC) candidate brought together some of the country’s most prominent opposition figures in a strategic push to forge a united front ahead of the 12 October vote.
The meeting drew an eclectic mix of political personalities, including Serge Espoir Matomba of the PURS, lawyer and governance reform advocate Akere Muna, Célestin Bedzigui of the PAL party, Professor Prosper Nkou Mvondo, and Jacques Bouhga-Hagbe. Representatives from other parties, including FSNC and MCNC, also joined the talks.
Ndam Njoya’s role in hosting the meeting is seen by many as a bold political statement. In a political arena where women remain underrepresented at the highest levels, her leadership in spearheading coalition-building talks highlights both her ambition and her ability to mobilise diverse strands of the opposition.
Speaking after the meeting, Matomba described the event as “a concertation and exchange aimed at rallying the living forces of our nation around constructive dialogue in view of the upcoming presidential election.”
The leaders agreed that the stakes in October go beyond the mechanics of a routine poll, framing it instead as a decisive moment for Cameroon’s future.
In a joint declaration issued from Foumban, the group accused the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) and its candidate, President Paul Biya who is in power since 1982 of presiding over “systemic oppression, economic marginalisation and the suppression of democratic freedoms.”
“For over four decades, the Cameroonian people have suffered systemic oppression, economic marginalisation and the stifling of democratic freedoms. The upcoming elections are not just another vote, but a decisive moment for the survival of our nation,” the statement read.
The leaders committed to unity in action, the articulation of a new vision for Cameroon, mass mobilisation of all Cameroonians, and perhaps most critically the selection of a consensual candidate with a common programme. They appealed to youth, women, men, civil society, and the diaspora to stand together and vote massively in October.
With barely two months before the election, the question now is whether Saturday’s unity pledge will translate into a viable coalition and whether the only woman in the race can help steer Cameroon’s divided opposition towards a single, formidable challenge to the CPDM’s 43-year hold on power.