Issa Tchiroma Bakary transformed in recent weeks from a veteran government minister to a symbol of change in Cameroon, proclaiming victory over longstanding President Paul Biya Tuesday, despite official results still being tallied.Hailing from the country’s north, Tchiroma rallied thousands of supporters in a campaign to end Biya’s 43-year rule. The enthusiasm that 79-year-old Tchiroma evoked prompted one newspaper to call the movement “Tchiromavirus”. Yet in the 2018 presidential poll, Tchiroma, then the communication minister and government spokesperson, condemned Biya’s opponent, Maurice Kamto, who claimed he won the ballot. With Kamto having his candidacy denied ahead of Sunday’s election, Tchiroma emerged as the opposition’s favourite to take on Biya, 92, the world’s oldest head of state. – Presidential ambition -In June, Tchiroma confirmed rumours of his intention to resign from government and run for president in a speech to supporters in his hometown of Garoua, announcing that he no longer wanted to support the man “responsible for the misfortunes” of the country’s northerners. During his candidacy announcement days later, he affirmed that “the time has come for the current regime to step down with dignity”, calling to break away from “a model in place for decades that has shown its limitations.” Despite Cameroon’s divided opposition, a coalition of parties and civil society organisations designated Tchiroma as the consensus candidate on September 13, the anniversary of the assassination of independence leader Ruben Um Nyobe by the French army. “It’s no coincidence; it’s a sign,” he said. – ‘Transition to rebuild’ -Calls to support him as a transitional solution are coming from various quarters. Tchiroma has proposed “three to five years of transition to rebuild” the country, which he considers “destroyed” by more than four decades of Biya’s regime. Prominent human rights lawyer Alice Nkom has urged the opposition to rally around him. Rebecca Enonchong, a tech icon and social entrepreneur, meanwhile, explained that “Issa Tchiroma Bakary is not our future. He is the key to reclaiming it.” Tchiroma has claimed to have the backing of leaders from anglophone regions who feel neglected by the francophone central government, particularly while he was in office, and have been mired in a deadly insurgency since 2016. During one rally, he apologised to residents for having defended a government accused of long ignoring their issues.- ‘Good devil’ -But “ITB,” as his supporters call him, has not always been part of the ruling establishment. In 1984, while a senior executive at the national railway company, Tchiroma was imprisoned after the failed coup attempt by supporters of Ahmadou Ahidjo, Cameroon’s first president. Tchiroma was imprisoned for nearly seven years and claims to have led a march against Biya’s government in 1991, following his release. Still, he joined the ranks of government for over 20 years. For many, Tchiroma is viewed as an unexpected candidate and ironically nicknamed by his supporters the “good devil”, referring to a comment by Bishop Barthelemy Yaouda that “even the devil” would suffice to succeed Biya. His victory, however, remains self-proclaimed until official results are released by October 26.
