Tension Mounts as Rumours Hint at Biya’s “Comeback Victory” Despite Early Tchiroma Lead
Cameroon’s Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, has once again stepped into the national spotlight with a stern warning to citizens amid mounting tension over the still-delayed official announcement of the October 12 presidential election results.
In a Press document released Tuesday 21, October, Atanga Nji urged Cameroonians to “remain calm and confident in republican institutions,” while calling for restraint from “troublemakers and agitators manipulated from within and abroad.”
“The Government will not tolerate any attempt at insurrection or breach of public order,” the minister declared, praising the gendarmerie forces for their “vigilance and professionalism.”
According to the statement, over 20 people have been arrested in Garoua for “acts of provocation and incitement to revolt,” with some suspects reportedly transferred to Yaoundé for further investigation. The minister said twenty detainees will appear before military courts on charges of “insurrection and incitement to rebellion.”
But while the government is celebrating its “swift action,” critics say the arrests represent a broader effort to silence growing public anger over what many describe as massive electoral fraud and manipulation.
Across the country, civil society organizations, opposition parties, and religious leaders are demanding transparency and justice, warning that peace cannot exist without truth.
“You cannot preach unity while twisting the people’s will,” said a civil rights advocate in Douala. “Atanga Nji’s message of calm sounds more like a threat than reassurance.”
Tension is especially high following rumours that 92-year-old President Paul Biya—in power since 1982— is being declared the winner, contrary to early polling station results that showed former minister Issa Tchiroma Bakari leading in several regions, including the North.
The Constitutional Council, currently reviewing petitions and result disputes, has remained tight-lipped, fueling speculation and frustration nationwide.
Social media is ablaze with leaked figures and testimonies from polling agents claiming massive result tampering by ELECAM officials and local administrators allegedly working under pressure from the ruling CPDM party.
Meanwhile, the Minister’s call for calm has been met with skepticism and anger among many Cameroonians who see the statement as an attempt to intimidate citizens into silence while “the real results are rewritten in Yaoundé.”
Religious voices have joined the growing chorus for truth. Just days ago, the Bishop of Bafoussam, Monsignor Paul Lontsie-Keune, openly condemned electoral fraud, warning that “peace built on lies will collapse under its own weight.”
As the Constitutional Council prepares to announce the final outcome, Cameroon sits on edge — a nation torn between hope for democratic change and fear of another stolen election.
For now, the government insists it is preserving “peace and national unity.”
But on the streets, many whisper a darker sentiment: that peace without justice is nothing but silence imposed by fear.
