A trend has of late been visible in Cameroon with the address of motions of support and calls for the Head of State to stand for another term of office during the next presidential election. The move initiated by supporters of the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement, CPDM party has obviously ignited debate across the country. Some think it is too early given that the next election,

according to the Constitution, is supposed to be in 2018. The other argument is that the CPDM needed no such massive mobilisation since the by-laws of the party are clear on the issue with their chair being the natural candidate and as such, they simply ought to call for a congress to enthrone the person they want to represent them at the next presidential election.

Of course, the supporters of the CPDM who take the front seat in elaborating the motions have not run out of ideas to defend the option. The peace and stability that Mr Biya has ensured in Cameroon over the years, the distribution of the national cake through the appointment of sons and daughters of the various localities in the country to posts of responsibility, his leadership qualities, ambitions for an emergent Cameroon by 2035, the fight against corruption, and the list continuous.

The recent imposition of an unjustified war by the Boko Haram extremist group in the Far North Region of Cameroon has not only reinforced the suspicion of a conspiracy theory, but also heightened the resolve by Cameroonians of almost all strata to rally behind President Paul Biya for a stronger and conquering nation. For the past two years that the insurgency started in parts of the Far North Region with the abduction of expatriates and some religious, the Heard of State showed resolve and determination to handle the onslaught making sure that State power prevails. But with the continuous killings of young Cameroonians, innocent citizens and even people in prayer sessions being brutally slaughtered, there has been every reason for unanimous action across the board to let the enemy understood the steadfastness of the entire nation toward peace and stability.    

Until now, the motions of support have been pouring in from various parts of the nation and people found it as a trendy evolution. That narrative has obviously changed. Cameroonians in the Diaspora have added their voice to the calls for Mr Biya to stand again as candidate for the next election to the post of President of the Republic of Cameroon. The fact that the justifications given by members of the Diaspora are the same as those of their compatriots back home speaks of the sense of purpose and desire for the establishment to make good certain achievements for Cameroon.

CPDM supporters in the United States of America, France, the Great Britain, Belgium and others have now joined the bandwagon. The approach may not be new but the influx from several countries at the same time has been enough to attract attention as to whether it is a sheer coincidence or those involved had to consult each other before writing. It is most likely that their concern for national cohesion and the experiences that they have been witnessing in their countries of residence and at the internal level, in general, guided the foreign influx of motions of support.   

The signatories must have analysed the situation of chaos and instability that exist in some countries, especially within the African Continent, and even across the globe before coming to the conclusion that the best risk for Cameroon remains Mr Biya. Also, as members of a given political party it remains their inalienable and democratic right to call for the person they deem fit to be their candidate. The timing may not be an issue and the evident way forward for other political parties in the country should be to also gird their loins and mobilise.

Thus, CPDM supporters from the national territory who started the calls for Mr Biya to represent them at the next Presidential election will now feel more comforted that their comrades in the Diaspora have joined hands to ensure that their standard-bearer should not be changed. He has in the past enabled the party to achieve important victories for the party and for Cameroon as a nation and they think the same arguments are valid today for the wellbeing of the CPDM, in general, and the nation as a whole.