Cameroonian refugees and residents living in Calabar, Cross River State, have appealed to President Paul Biya, 92, to accept the outcome of the recently concluded presidential election, where early results suggest opposition candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary, 76, emerged victorious.
Bakary’s supporters have declared that they won the 12th of October, 2025, poll fairly and are calling for his immediate swearing-in.
President Biya, who has led Cameroon since April 1982 after succeeding Ahmadou Ahidjo, was contesting for an eighth term in office. Cameroon shares a border with Nigeria to the east.
Speaking on Tuesday, the 21st of October, in Calabar, several Cameroonian nationals, many of whom fled the Ambazonian conflict in the country’s southwest since 2014 urged Biya’s team to “put Cameroon’s interest above personal ambition” and prevent further international embarrassment.
They claimed that the president is largely disconnected from the current realities of governance in the country.
“Now we have an election where a candidate has clearly defeated Paul Biya. There’s no need to twist the results again. Let Bakary be sworn in after 43 years for the sake of change,” said Clemence Nchongo, 60.
The refugees, whose number in Calabar has steadily increased over the years, alleged that Biya is no longer directly in charge and that a clique has taken control of the government in his name. They urged Elections Cameroon and the Constitutional Council to confirm the results in the interest of national stability.
Another refugee, Frances Clemence, estimated that there are over 2,000 Cameroonians living in Cross River and insisted that “the people’s will must be respected.”
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The Cameroonian authorities, on their part, have reiterated that only the Constitutional Council has the legal power to announce the election winner, cautioning that premature victory claims could be seen as high treason.
In Ikom, central Cross River State, two other respondents, Denise Yawun and Marie Ntui, decried what they described as “France-controlled governance” in Cameroon and expressed relief at being able to speak freely while in Nigeria.
“We need a new president. Biya never campaigned; he’s too old and has been confined abroad. Let’s move away from this political prison,” said Marie. “Bakary has won. They should swear him in and let Cameroon breathe fresh air.”
Ntui, a teacher, added that ignoring Bakary’s victory could escalate the separatist crisis. “Removing Biya is the first step toward ending the Ambazonian armed struggle,” he stated.