In a strongly worded public statement, Marianne Ekane, an outspoken political activist and leading member of the Manidem party, has asserted that Maurice Kamto is the rightful leader of Cameroon’s opposition, rejecting arguments that downplay his influence and legitimacy.
In a lengthy reflection on historical and contemporary political dynamics, Ekane recalled the 1992 presidential elections to draw parallels with today’s landscape.
She pointed out that Ni John Fru Ndi, despite boycotting the March 1992 legislative polls and having no elected officials, was chosen by the Union for Change as the consensus opposition candidate and went on to overshadow all other parties in the October presidential election.
“Fru Ndi had almost double the score of the UNDP: around 36% against 19%. Who can deny that?” Ekane challenged.
Turning her attention to current affairs, she said critics of Kamto—particularly those within opposition ranks—fail to grasp the bigger picture.
According to her, despite past ideological differences with the MRC (Cameroon Renaissance Movement), Manidem has thrown its support behind Kamto because he represents a paradigm shift the country urgently needs.
“Those who used to criticize Kamto the most were us at Manidem, due to our strong ideological divergence. But the superior interest of the country appears more important than all else in our journey with Maurice Kamto,” she explained.
Ekane further criticized other opposition parties and the ruling CPDM and its allies, describing their disagreements as “superficial, subjective, and regionalist.” She accused them of failing to prioritize the nation’s broader democratic aspirations.
“We at Manidem know how to distinguish between sectarian interests and the supreme interest of our country,” she emphasized. “We know how to tell the difference between what is essential and what is secondary.”
Taking a direct swipe at both government and rival opposition parties, she argued that some factions, while publicly calling for change, merely aim to replace old faces without addressing the roots of Cameroon’s problems.
“They want to replace Paul with Pierre, apply a little ‘wash-wash’ to the walls without changing a single iota of this neocolonial regime,” she said.
Ekane also lamented the celebration of Kamto’s political setbacks by fellow opposition groups, describing it as a betrayal of shared democratic goals. She insisted that Kamto and his allies are aligned with the spirit of Africa’s rising movement for full sovereignty.
“We, Manidem, with our candidate Maurice Kamto and our civil society allies, are walking in the direction of Africa’s history – one that is marching inexorably towards full and complete sovereignty,” she concluded passionately.
The statement, signed under her pen name “Mat 1501 alias Mariana Simonikova Ekanev,” has stirred wide debate on social media, as the battle for leadership within Cameroon’s opposition continues to heat up.
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