In the lead-up to Cameroon’s presidential election on October 12, 2025, Univers party candidate Akere Muna has raised alarms about the country’s political and social state. In an August 30 post on X, the opposition leader stated the country is “on the verge of collapse,” citing institutional decline and the ruling CPDM party’s firm grip on state institutions.

The lawyer and former head of the Cameroon Bar Association mocked the media attention surrounding President Paul Biya’s August 29 meeting with the outgoing French ambassador. “We now applaud his appearances like parents applauding their child’s first steps,” he wrote.

Muna described the situation as a symptom of a “nation in crisis.” He accused state institutions of being reduced to a “mere CPDM campaign stop” and claimed the National Anti-Corruption Commission (CONAC) “rigs its reports to make it seem corruption is in retreat.” He argued that in reality, “the titans of corruption have their knee on the throat of Cameroon’s development.”

The Univers candidate also expressed concern for civil servants, who he alleges are “coerced through blackmail to contribute millions to the president’s campaign.” Despite this grim assessment, he claimed to see a “growing awareness” within society and called for a “break from the repetition of past failures” to “bring the country to a safe place.”

The CPDM and the presidency have not yet responded to Muna’s comments. However, the government has repeatedly rejected accusations of using public resources for partisan purposes. Authorities maintain that the fight against corruption is making progress, citing CONAC reports. These documents, however, are disputed by the opposition and independent bodies, including Transparency International, which continues to rank Cameroon among the world’s most corrupt countries.

A long-time critic of the regime, Akere Muna withdrew from the 2018 presidential race in favor of Maurice Kamto of the MRC party. More recently, Muna filed a petition with the Constitutional Council seeking to have President Biya declared “ineligible,” citing his prolonged absences from the country and rare public appearances. The court rejected his request, which was supported by more than 20 documents, deeming it “unjustified.”

With 41 days until the vote, Akere Muna’s candidacy stands as one of the few dissenting voices in a political landscape defined by the longevity of the head of state, who has been in power since 1982, and the CPDM’s dominance over the electoral and institutional apparatus.

Source: Business in Cameroon