By Noela EBOB BISONG
Renowned lawyer and former chairman of Transparency International, Barr Akere Muna, has been officially declared the presidential candidate for the Univers Party, ahead of the 2025 presidential election.
The iconic lawyer cum politician was endorsed recently in Yaounde, Cameroon’s political capital, during a gathering of leaders of about 20 political parties and civil society organisations. The Union of the Populations of Cameroon (UPC) is said to be one of the parties behind Akere Muna.
Muna’s candidature was declared during a press briefing last Monday. The leader of Univers party, Professor Prospère Nkou Mvondo, made the big announcement at the briefing, following a coalition of political and civil society groups. Prof Nkou Mvondo said, “We are at a crossroads in our nation’s history, and we believe that Akere Muna embodies the change that this country so desperately needs”.
Akere Muna who is the president of his party, NOW Movement, is also a vocal lawyer and an anti-corruption expert who is entering the race for the second time after his previous attempt in 2018.
Observers say the move is a commendable step in the political landscape in Cameroon, especially within the opposition segment. Talks of coalition have been the order of the day since the start of the year, as government appears to be dribbling the opposition. The postponement of the Municipal and Legislative elections from 2025 to 2026 was viewed as a categorical step to silence opposition parties and shy them away from the coveted office.
With the current confidence bestowed on Akere Muna, it is now expected of him, with his wealth of international experience, to galvanize a fragmented opposition landscape under a unified banner and put up a strong fight against President Biya’s Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement CPDM party in 2025. Pundits agree it is a huge task considering the divided opposition landscape currently prevailing in the country and the seeming indifference by some parties towards a unified coalition.
Observers hold that a coalition without the MRC, SDF, PCRN and others uniting forces in battle against the CPDM, might only be a dream too far from reality, considering the weight of the ruling party on ground.
Muna’s endorsement comes after that of MRC leader, Maurice Kamto in another coalition.
From the Social Democratic Front SDF party’s perspective, an opposition coalition cannot deliver the goods in Cameroon.
SDF National Chairman, Joshua Osih, holds that, “When you are talking about a coalition, it means that all you have in mind is the presidential election and it means that you agree that the president of the Republic should have 99% of all the powers and the rest of Cameroonians should share the 1% left, no. The SDF believes that power should be brought back to the people. We want to deconstruct the system that is actually governing us because that is what is killing us.”
According to Osih, the SDF remains reluctant towards a coalition because, “if you support someone else who has 99% of the powers, the whole system will just continue and so we need to have the lucidity to talk to each other and say ‘what is the orientation we are giving’ and the second thing is that we are of centre-left, we are social democrats. The worst thing that can happen to Cameroon is that a centre-left party and a right-wing party or even a far-right-wing party join together for a presidential election. Then you will have a government that cannot work. It will even be worse than what is happening today.”
Nonetheless, the endorsement comes as a boost to activate the political landscape ahead of the election. Muna has been receiving encouragement from some since the announcement, including Media expert – Eric Chinje, Human Rights lawyer – Agbor Balla, former SDF national chair contestant – Godden Zama, who have all thrown weight behind him.
“The time for change is now. We must restore dignity to the Cameroonian people by building a government that is accountable, transparent, and serves the interest of all citizens, not just a select few”, Muna said shortly after the endorsement.