Barrister Nkongho Felix Agbor Balla, President and Founder of the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa (CHRDA), has sounded a sharp warning about the perilous state of the country’s opposition.
In his latest commentary, Agbor Balla Speaks, the prominent human rights advocate describes the fractured opposition as engaging in a “suicide in slow motion,” squandering what he calls a historic opportunity to challenge a regime that has ruled for more than four decades.
A Voice of Conscience
Widely respected for his outspokenness on governance and human rights, Barrister Agbor Balla has often used his platform to highlight systemic injustices in Cameroon. This time, his focus is on politics, where he sees a troubling pattern: opposition leaders locked in disputes over “logos, colours, and symbols” instead of uniting behind a single candidate or shared vision.
“This spectacle of disunity,” he argues, “reinforces the perception of an opposition incapable of transcending ego and trivialities for the greater good.”
Lessons from the Past, Warnings for the Future
The civic rights advocate recalls the 2018 presidential election, where opposition fragmentation handed President Paul Biya another decisive victory. He cautions that history is poised to repeat itself unless leaders summon the courage to set aside personal ambitions.
ABS Tuesday, August 26, 2025.To him, the problem is twofold: structural and self-inflicted. On one hand, institutions like ELECAM lack credibility, opposition parties face harassment, and media access remains heavily skewed. On the other hand, the opposition’s inability to forge unity has become, in his words, “the regime’s greatest ally.”
A Narrowing Window
Despite the bleak outlook, the rights defender insists the situation is not beyond repair. “Suicides can be prevented if there is the will to live,” he notes. For Cameroon’s opposition, he stresses, survival depends on unity, courage, and a renewed sense of responsibility to the people they claim to represent.
Beyond Politics
Though rooted in the political debate, Nkongho Felix Agbor Balla’s critique, this time issued in a bilingual format, speaks to a broader vision: a democratic Cameroon anchored on accountability, inclusivity, and the rule of law. His call resonates not just as a political admonition but as a moral challenge to leaders across the spectrum.
As October approaches, his words serve as both a mirror and a warning that unless the opposition can rise above fragmentation, Cameroonians may once again be denied the chance for meaningful political change.
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