Cameroon’s Tourism Minister Bello Bouba Maigari has officially accepted his party’s nomination to contest the upcoming presidential election, signaling growing political maneuvering as President Paul Biya, 92, remains silent on whether he will seek reelection.
Maigari, 78, a former prime minister and longtime ally of Biya, was nominated by the National Union for Democracy and Progress (UNDP) on Saturday. He has not stepped down from his ministerial post.
His entry into the race marks the second candidacy in recent days from Biya’s northern base. Last week, ex-government spokesman Issa Tchiroma Bakary resigned and declared his presidential bid, citing rising demand for change.
The candidacies of Maigari and Bakary hint at cracks in Biya’s long-standing alliance with northern elites, whose support has been vital to his four-decade rule.
Northern Cameroon’s Adamawa, North, and Far North regions—home to over 2 million voters—are key to any serious electoral strategy in the country of 30 million. More than 8 million voters are currently registered, according to the election commission. The election is expected to take place in October.