On instructions from the Head of State, the Minister of Territorial Administration, Atanga Nji Paul, has met with electoral stakeholders in the Southwest Region, where he defined the rules for the October 12, 2025, presidential elections. The meeting was attended by Governor Bernard Okala Bilai, administrative authorities, the Southwest Regional Delegate of ELECAM, and the defence and security forces. The MINAT boss scrutinised the security situation on the eve of the elections, where he said the purpose is to guarantee a hitch-free process. He said those involved are expected to respect the rules, be politically responsible, uphold a moral obligation, protect state institutions and preserve national unity while shunning hate speech, tribalism, and other acts that disturb the peace of the nation. While reiterating the role of administrative authorities and the forces of law and order in accompanying ELECAM, the minister acknowledged the production of an electoral code of conduct by ELECAM which has been distributed to guide the concerned, noting that observers have been accredited for the elections by MINAT; thus, each party has to judiciously play their role. He went ahead to say MINAT and the Constitutional Council would join ELECAM in guiding the parties concerned.
Turning to the acts of terrorism that are perpetrated in the Southwest, the Minister frowned that « Anglophones are marginalising Anglophones » by attacking local economic operators, which is destructive.
Once again he appealed to the terrorists to embrace the peace path in the DDR centres. He also called on parents to cut off from the complicity by reporting their children who are involved in these atrocities. According to the MINAT’s boss, the presidential election is a significant political event, « the mother of all elections », and President Paul Biya wants the process to be credible in order that Cameroonians keep enjoying the democracy of the country. While assessing the strengths of political parties, the Minister of Territorial Administration noted that candidates with political representations in as few political circumscriptions as three or five regions out of fifty-eight are quite aware of their stakes. He elaborated on the need for all the stakeholders to follow the laws of the republic.