INVESTIGATIVE REPORT | AfricaHeadline – Julho de 2025
By AfricaHeadline Investigative Desk | Yaoundé, Cameroon
In what may prove to be a watershed moment for Cameroon’s post-independence political trajectory, two of the most loyal figures in President Paul Biya’s inner circle, Bello Bouba Maigari and Issa Tchiroma Bakary, have officially distanced themselves from the ruling elite just months ahead of the critical October 2025 general elections.
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The defection of these seasoned political actors, once considered immovable pillars of Biya’s 42-year reign, is sending shockwaves through Yaoundé and shaking the foundations of a regime long thought to be unbreakable.
The sudden rupture is more than symbolic. Both men have been central to the maintenance of Biya’s political machinery. Bello Bouba, a former Prime Minister and influential leader in the north, and Issa Tchiroma, a longstanding government spokesperson and communication minister, were not just allies, they were regime architects. Their departure exposes long-simmering fractures within the government and raises serious doubts about the future cohesion of Biya’s coalition.
An image circulating on social media, showing the two former ministers seated calmly beneath a Cameroon flag, has already become an icon of political realignment, hinting at the birth of a new opposition force.
Why now? Sources close to the pair suggest months of behind-the-scenes friction, marginalisation, and ideological drift. The timing, just three months before the national elections, is seen by analysts as a calculated act of pressure.
“They’re capitalising on growing dissatisfaction in the northern provinces and among youth,” says political analyst Dr. Evina Tabe. “This is not just a personal fallout, it’s a statement to the nation that even the insiders believe the regime’s end is near.”
According to internal party memos reviewed by AfricaHeadline, concerns over declining popularity and increasing urban unrest have led to “emergency consultations” within the upper echelons of the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM/RDPC).
Inside the presidency, usually shielded from public perception, alarm bells are ringing. A senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to AfricaHeadline that Biya held an unannounced crisis meeting on 2 July with members of the political bureau. “The President is furious, not only because of the betrayal but because this exposes vulnerability at the very core of his command,” the source said.
In regional delegations, the tone has shifted from confidence to concern. Pro-regime media outlets, typically prompt in defending the administration, have remained unusually silent or cautious in their coverage, an unspoken acknowledgment of the seriousness of the rupture.
Cameroon’s fragmented opposition, for years unable to build a cohesive challenge to the ruling party, is now quietly mobilising. The presence of such prominent former regime insiders could provide both credibility and a much-needed bridge to regions historically resistant to anti-Biya movements.
Discussions of an “inclusive national transition pact” are reportedly underway, spearheaded by civil society figures and opposition veterans such as Joshua Osih and Cabral Libii. “This is the clearest sign yet that the tide may be turning,” says Dr. Fadimatou Ngah, a lecturer at the University of Douala. “We are witnessing the slow but steady erosion of the Biya myth.”
At 92, Paul Biya remains the world’s oldest sitting president, and speculation about succession has long been a source of tension. While official discourse maintains that Biya will run again, insiders admit there is no clear successor with national appeal.
The absence of a transition plan has stoked fears of a power vacuum or military intervention. Western diplomats have privately expressed concern that the country, already battling insecurity in the Anglophone regions and Islamist threats in the north, may be headed for institutional breakdown if no peaceful political transition is agreed.
The defection of Bello Bouba Maigari and Issa Tchiroma Bakary may mark more than just a political disagreement. It could signal the disintegration of a regime that has outlived most of its peers on the continent. As international observers turn their eyes toward Cameroon’s October ballot, the key question is no longer whether change is coming, but how turbulent that change will be.
“When the foundations of a fortress begin to crumble from within, it’s not a matter of if, but when the walls collapse,” said a senior Western diplomat based in Yaoundé.
