Issa Tchiroma Bakary says he won’t accept a stolen vote

Cameroonian opposition leader Issa Chiroma Bakary, who claimed victory in the October 12 election, told the BBC that he would not accept the theft of votes, and the results are due to be announced on Monday.

He says his team pieced together the big picture based on the results of individual polling places, so there’s no doubt.

Chiroma Bakare (76 years old) is a former government minister who defected from President Paul Biya (92 years old), who is seeking another term after 43 years in power.

The ruling party denied claims of Chiroma Bakary’s win and many officials described it as illegal because only the Constitutional Council can announce official results.

In an interview at his home in the northern city of Garoua, Chiroma Bakare said he urged his supporters to defend their votes.

“We will never accept anyone stealing their votes,” he said, wearing a long, wide white and gold jacket.

The former minister said he was not worried about arrest or imprisonment, “but I know that I already won the presidential election.”

“There is no doubt, no shadow of doubt at all,” he said, sounding calm and resolute throughout the conversation. “My victory is undeniable.”

Chiroma Bakare He said the ruling CPDM party had its “back against the wall” and could not accept the reality of the vote, and challenged them to show whether what it was saying about the elections was wrong.

He defended his decision to declare himself the winner, stressing that the law “does not prevent us from doing so.”

Chiroma Bakare had previously said that he won the elections with about 55% of the votes, based on results representing 80% of voters.

In response to a question about whether he would accept defeat if someone else won, he said he would agree “provided that the Constitutional Council announces the results that come from the ballot boxes, and not stuffing the ballot boxes.”

Tensions have increased over the delayed announcement of election results, raising fears of post-election violence in a country already suffering from separatist conflict in English-speaking regions and a Boko Haram insurgency in the Far North region.

In Jaroua, there remains a general sense of uncertainty following protests that broke out earlier this week. Security forces patrol the streets at night, although their presence during the day has decreased.

The Catholic Church, which is highly respected and influential in Cameroon, this week urged calm after fears violence could erupt once official results are announced.

The Catholic bishops said they hoped the official result would reflect the will of voters, and “nothing would be changed by any authority involved in this exercise.”

Born in Garoua, Chiroma Bakare trained as an engineer in France before returning to Cameroon to work for the national railway company.

In 1984, he was thrown into prison on charges of involvement in an attempt to overthrow President Biya. Although he denied the allegation and was never convicted, Chiroma Bakare spent six years in prison. There, he farmed the land with fellow prisoners and taught himself how to speak English.

Upon his release from prison, Chiroma Bakare began his political career. He became an MP for the opposition UNDP in 1992, but entered into an alliance of sorts with Biya and served as Minister of Transport for four years.

Chiroma Bakare also served as Minister of Communications from 2009 to 2019.

As communications minister and government spokesman, he firmly defended Biya’s government during crises such as the Boko Haram insurgency, when the military was accused of killing civilians.

But in June, just four months before the general election, Chiroma Bakary dramatically changed course, resigning from the government and announcing that he would run against Biya for president.

He accused the president of becoming increasingly out of touch with reality, saying: “No country can live in the service of one man.”

Despite his recent role as government spokesman, Chiroma Bakare attracted huge crowds at his rallies, electrifying voters desperate for change.

After four decades of Biya’s rule, economic development remains stagnant and challenges such as inflation, unemployment and insecurity abound.

In addition, residents of Cameroon’s English-speaking western region have long complained of marginalization, and many there spontaneously supported Chiroma Bakare against Biya, who is seen as representing the French-speaking majority.

At one massive rally in the economic capital Douala, thousands of supporters waited for hours in the rain to hear Tchiroma Bakary speak. He knows how to lead a crowd, a stark contrast to Biya, who spent most of the election campaign in Europe and only participated in one march.

However, some were not impressed with the former spokesperson. In his home town of Garoua, several residents told the BBC that Chiroma Bakare was not their ideal candidate, but at least he offered a change from Biya’s long rule.

“We cannot continue with the level of backwardness that is paralyzing Cameroon,” said farmer Benjamin Timonja.

Tchiroma Bakare also sought to distance himself from the government, apologizing for his role as its spokesman.

For example, he defended the army despite knowing they were committing atrocities in the midst of the Anglophone crisis – a conflict that saw separatist fighters battling the authorities for more than six years.

“I agree 100% that the army committed atrocities,” he said. He added, “But as Minister of Communications, my duty was to defend our armed forces. Today, I speak as a free man.”

Chiroma Bakare is calm and frank, resolute in his stance that people have put their trust in him. He told the BBC that he is the legitimate president.

“The nation knows it, and the world knows it.”

Additional reporting by Basilio Rukanga