The priest and politician sends an intriguing message to the opponent Issa Tchiroma Bakary who calls for visible mobilization ahead of his return to Cameroon.
The potential return of the opponent Issa Tchiroma Bakary to Cameroon has attracted attention from some since the former minister himself asked if the people are ready to welcome him. Between the politician’s supporters who have launched a certain propaganda campaign with the slogan “I am ready” and the skeptics who prefer to observe, Father Ludovic Lado, priest and political activist, breaks his silence. As critical of the opponent as he often is of the regime, the man of God reproaches the candidate ranked 2nd in the 2025 presidential election for still asking the people if they are ready for him considering what this people did in 2025 to support him.
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Briefly on the web, he reminds Issa Tchiroma: “A people forgive you and vote for you, 50 die in the street. 2,000 are in prison… and you ask for proof that they are ready? Are you the messiah?” questions the priest before concluding. “Sorry, stay in Gambia!” he says. A rather unexpected reaction at a time when a good part of public opinion is still wondering about the true intentions of Issa Tchiroma Bakary. A leader who fled at the very moment when people were fighting in the streets and neighborhoods, facing the harshness of law enforcement and security forces, to claim “his alleged victory” the day after October 12. An opponent who, in another statement, has already sparked many reactions about his status as opposition leader.
In essence, the self-proclaimed president explained in this video statement that he left Cameroon because his life was threatened. Yet, even among his most distant supporters, some declare their commitment to continue their activism to the ultimate sacrifice. Administrative summons and other means of pressure used by authorities to dissuade them have not stopped their boldness. The leader himself withdrew to West Africa while the government forced his supporters like Djeukam Tchameni, Pr Aba’a Oyono, Anicet Ekane and many others into detention.
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At a time when calm prevails in the cities and as the country is in the process of celebrating the 54th edition of the National Unity Day, some say they are “ready” to reactivate tensions in order to install their leader in the presidential seat. In the end, “if he has militants, let them come out to oust Biya. It is not chatter on Tik Tok that will do it,” Ludovic Lado adds.
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