Issa Tchiroma Bakary, President of the National Salvation Front and declared candidate in Cameroon’s 2025 presidential race, has fired a bold salvo at the political establishment, accusing Northern elites of betraying their people and warning that the “Septentrion” Cameroon’s three northern regions risks irreversible decline if urgent corrective measures are not taken.
In an impassioned open letter dated Tuesday, September 2, 2025, and addressed to National Assembly Speaker Cavayé Yéguié Djibril, Tchiroma described the widespread poverty, neglect, and structural imbalance afflicting Northern Cameroon as a “nightmare that keeps me awake.” He charged that despite the heavy presence of high-ranking officials from the North in government, the region remains the most underdeveloped and marginalized in the country.
“Our populations feel abandoned, betrayed, by those who should have been their protectors and guarantors,” Tchiroma lamented. “In spite of constant support for the Head of State during presidential elections, our demographic weight in the public service has dropped below 7%.”
A Scathing Audit of Elite Responsibility
The FSNC leader listed prominent figures from the North, ministers, secretaries of state, senators, and directors of state corporations, insisting that their collective responsibility has not translated into tangible development for their region. He cited staggering disparities: the combined public investment budget for the three Northern regions, he said, remains lower than that of the South Region alone, while water scarcity, poor schooling infrastructure, and widespread poverty persist.
Tchiroma did not shy away from self-criticism, declaring that Northern elites, himself included, share the blame:
“We are all collectively and individually responsible. No excuse, no subterfuge can shield us from the condemnation of history,” he wrote.
Beyond the North: A National Vision
While the letter centered on the plight of the Septentrion, Tchiroma broadened his critique to other regions. He condemned the mismanagement of natural resources in the East, the lack of infrastructure in the South despite substantial state allocations, and the ongoing armed conflict in the North West and South West, which he called “a theater of horrors” that has crippled 20% of the national economy.
Positioning himself as the alternative, Tchiroma pledged to enforce equitable distribution of state resources, push for local industrial transformation of natural wealth, and champion inclusive governance:
“I commit, under God’s guidance, to making Cameroon one of the most beautiful and greatest nations on the African continent,” he vowed.
A Calculated Political Gamble
Issa Tchiroma Bakary, a seasoned politician and longtime government minister, has often been perceived as a staunch defender of the Biya regime. His sharp turn openly challenging the ruling party’s record in the North and calling out his peers marks one of the most striking shifts in the 2025 presidential campaign so far.
Political observers say his candidacy could resonate strongly in the North, where frustration over poverty and neglect has been simmering. But it also risks alienating allies among the same elite he has accused of complicity in the “betrayal” of their people.
As the race toward Cameroon’s crucial 2025 presidential election intensifies, Tchiroma’s letter positions him not only as a critic of the status quo but also as a candidate betting on the power of the North’s demographic weight to influence the country’s political future.
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