YAOUNDÉ — In a blistering critique of President Paul Biya’s 43-year rule, Dr. Appollinaire Oko, interim National Treasurer of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (CRM), has denounced what he calls “decades of lies and abandonment” inflicted on the southern region of the country.
A co-signatory of the recently released “Southern Declaration,” Dr. Oko has emerged as one of the leading voices in a growing movement calling for political change ahead of the 2025 elections.
“Apart from lying, Paul Biya has done nothing for the South,” said Oko, who hails from Meyomessala, in a statement that has reverberated across the political spectrum.
His remarks come as support for the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) shows signs of fragmentation, even in its traditionally perceived strongholds.
The “granite base” image projected by the ruling party in the South, Oko asserts, is a political illusion. He points to grim statistics that suggest the region is reeling under the same socio-economic pressure seen nationwide:
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Poverty affects over 55% of the population.
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Youth unemployment stands at a staggering 74%.
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Corruption remains rampant, with Cameroon ranked 140 out of 180 countries by Transparency International.
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Chronic power outages persist despite massive investments in hydroelectric infrastructure.
Dr. Oko accuses Biya’s regime of sacrificing the South while enriching a privileged elite.
“No major infrastructure has been developed here. Agricultural land is monopolized by those close to power. The people are left with broken promises.”
The Southern Declaration, co-authored by Oko and other regional leaders, seeks to:
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Dispel the myth of southern loyalty to the regime.
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Expose the deepening poverty and marginalisation.
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Mobilise a political awakening in time for the 2025 polls.
Recalling his own political imprisonment in 2019 after contesting election results, Oko maintains that the only path forward lies in a clean break from Biya’s governance.
He further criticised the World Bank-financed PROLOG project, valued at 189 billion CFA francs, for its lack of impact due to what he describes as systemic opacity and governance failures.
“The CPDM is wallowing in the misery it created,” he said. “Only through transparent governance and a new social contract can the South — and Cameroon as a whole — reclaim its dignity.”
As the countdown to 2025 intensifies, the political winds in Cameroon’s South appear to be shifting, and Dr. Oko’s words may well serve as a rallying cry for a nation at a crossroads.
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