Cameroon’s Constitutional Council Rejects Bid to Declare President Biya Ineligible

Members of the Constitutional Council Supreme Court

YAOUNDE, CAMEROON — In a landmark decision today, Cameroon’s Constitutional Council dismissed a petition seeking to challenge the eligibility of President Paul Biya, now 92, to remain in office. The Council declared the petition admissible—a first in recent memory—but ultimately found it “unfounded,” allowing Biya’s candidacy to stand.

The petition, spearheaded by Akere Muna and his legal team, raised pressing questions about Biya’s prolonged absences from public life, his failure to preside over key institutions, and growing evidence that governance has shifted to unelected proxies. The Council’s willingness to consider the case signals a new openness to legal scrutiny of presidential qualifications, affirming that such matters are governed by law, not political custom.

Yet on substance, the Council’s response left critics unsatisfied. During the hearing, the silent presence of the Director of the Civil Cabinet—who refused to speak when invited—became a symbol of official opacity. The defense offered no evidence to counter concerns about the president’s autonomy, instead relying on silence. For Muna and others, this silence only deepens doubts about who actually runs the country.

While the Council ruled the evidence “insufficient,” the petition’s backers argue that the core questions remain unanswered. Who governs Cameroon in the president’s absence? Why are key institutions dormant? And why is transparency so elusive at the highest levels of power?

“This fight was never personal—it was constitutional,” Akere Muna said in a statement. “The Cameroonian people deserve full transparency and leaders whose authority is beyond question.”

As Biya’s government moves forward, critics and legal activists vow to keep pressing for accountability, insisting that the legitimacy of Cameroon’s leadership must be clear, lawful, and transparent.