As the 2025 presidential election approaches, frustration is mounting across Bangangté, a town in Cameroon’s West Region, where residents are voicing deep discontent with the enduring rule of President Paul Biya and vowing to defend the integrity of the ballot.
In the Batéla-Matap neighbourhood, workers harvest tomatoes along the Ngam River under looming storm clouds.
Most speak a local blend of English known as “piding-English,” indicating they are among the many Anglophone Cameroonians displaced by the country’s long-running crisis.
“These Anglophones came here fleeing hostilities,” said local resident Tchatchep.
“They are numerous and hardworking. But they compete with locals. The village children are unemployed.”
Yet anger in Bangangté is not only about competition for work. For many, economic hardship and political stagnation lie at the heart of their grievances. “Everything is expensive at the market. We pay 800 CFA francs for a liter of palm oil.
This is unacceptable,” Tchatchep added. “It’s Paul Biya and his clique who are responsible for our misery. This time, I’m committed.”
As the October vote nears, residents say they are organizing to prevent ballot stuffing and fraud.
“There will be no falsification of the minutes at the polling stations of the Batela public school,” he asserted.
The area remains a stronghold for opposition parties like the Social Democratic Front (SDF) and the Union of the People of Cameroon (UPC), whose followers remain active in rejecting the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM).
In Bangangté’s town center, behind the Place des Fêtes grandstand, motorcycle taxi drivers have publicly pledged to support Professor Maurice Kamto of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (MRC).
“In 2018, the majority of us voted for Kamto,” said one driver. “But we were surprised by the results.
There was ballot stuffing and falsification in fictitious polling stations. This time, we are determined to prevent fraud.”
Even some former CPDM insiders are expressing regret.
“In 2018, I stuffed the ballot boxes on behalf of President Paul Biya in Mandja,” admitted one party activist anonymously.
But with growing citizen vigilance, he says he will not do so again.
Despite the political weight of figures like Senate President Marcel Niat Njifendji, opposition forces in Bangangté appear more mobilized than ever.
Achille Ngapet, secretary of the MRC’s local federation, affirmed: “All measures have been taken to ensure that the people of Bangangté vote for their candidate and that the results reflect the popular will.”
About The Author
