By Obinna Uballa
Cameroon’s opposition candidate, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, has declared himself winner of Sunday’s presidential election, claiming victory over long-serving President Paul Biya even as official results are not expected for another two weeks.
“Our victory is clear. It must be respected,” Tchiroma announced in a statement posted on Facebook on Tuesday, calling on the Biya administration to “accept the truth of the ballot box” or risk plunging the country “into turmoil.”
The former employment minister vowed to publish detailed regional tallies, insisting, “The people have chosen.”
However, the Cameroonian government has warned that only the Constitutional Council has the authority to announce final results, a “red line that must not be crossed,” it said.
Tchiroma’s bold claim mirrors that of opposition figure Maurice Kamto, who declared himself winner after the 2018 presidential election. Kamto was later arrested, and his supporters violently dispersed during post-election protests.
President Biya, 92, the world’s oldest serving head of state, is seeking to extend his 43-year rule in a country where the political space remains tightly controlled.
Observers say Tchiroma’s campaign, which drew surprising enthusiasm across parts of the country, has turned what many expected to be a routine re-election into one of Biya’s most serious challenges in decades.
Both camps have circulated images of tally sheets and handwritten vote counts on social media, each claiming victory, raising fears of unrest if the official outcome diverges sharply from the opposition’s projections.
