Cameroon minister dismisses opposition victory claim as electoral disruption

Cameroon's Minister of Territorial Administration Paul Atanga Nji has rejected opposition candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary's claim of victory and accused him of trying to disrupt the electoral process.

"This crooked candidate is attempting to implement a cleverly planned diabolical plan with his occult networks at home and abroad aimed at setting Cameroon ablaze,” Atanga Nji said in a statement.

Atanga Nji had warned last week that any unauthorized release of results would be deemed “high treason,” saying only the Constitutional Council can declare a winner.

Issa Tchiroma Bakary had claimed victory early Tuesday in the Oct. 12 presidential election, urging President Paul Biya, who has been in power for over four decades, to concede.

Tchiroma, who is in his late seventies, was a government spokesperson and minister of employment under Biya but quit the government last year to launch his presidential run. His campaign drew large crowds and backing from a coalition of opposition parties and civic groups.

Biya has been in power since 1982, nearly half his lifetime, making him Cameroon's second president since independence from France in 1960.

According to the Cameroon Electoral Code, the results of the election will be proclaimed by the Constitutional Council within no more than 15 days of the close of the poll.