In Cameroon, Léon Theiller Onana, a municipal councilor from the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) in Monatélé, has launched a new legal challenge against what he calls ongoing illegality within his own party. He has formally petitioned Elections Cameroon (Elecam) to contest any presidential candidacy for 2025 that is not preceded by a party congress.
According to Onana, the CPDM cannot legally nominate a presidential candidate without first holding an ordinary congress, as required by the party’s internal rules. The last such congress was held in 2011, and although President Paul Biya’s mandate was extended in 2016 ahead of the 2018 election, no new congress has been convened since. Onana is now requesting the court to appoint an ad hoc representative tasked with organizing the congress and setting its agenda.
He has also issued a formal warning to the Electoral Council: no CPDM candidacy should be accepted unless the party’s internal legal process has been properly followed. Otherwise, he warns, the party may face a leadership crisis and the risk of multiple competing candidacies for the upcoming presidential race.
A fast-track legal procedure is underway to determine whether the CPDM congress must be held before the 2025 election—an outcome that could significantly reshape the political landscape within the ruling party.