Former APC spokesman and United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) Ambassador to East Africa and the Middle East, Comrade Timi Frank, has called on former U.S. President Donald Trump and other global leaders to recognise Issa Tchiroma Bakary as the rightful winner of Cameroon’s presidential election.
Frank made the call in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, amid mounting allegations that President Paul Biya, Africa’s longest-serving ruler, is attempting to manipulate election results to prolong his 42-year hold on power.
According to Frank, verified polling unit data and regional tallies clearly show that Tchiroma Bakary emerged victorious, but efforts are being made to subvert the popular will.
“The people of Cameroon have spoken through the ballot and overwhelmingly chosen Issa Tchiroma Bakary,” Frank said. “But as we have seen too often in Africa, the will of the people is now under threat from a deeply entrenched dictatorship.”
He condemned the intimidation, arrests, and violence allegedly unleashed by security forces on protesters demanding respect for their votes, warning that any attempt to distort the outcome through judicial manipulation could push Cameroon into a national crisis.
“At 92, Paul Biya’s refusal to step down despite clear popular rejection is a mockery of democracy,” Frank said. “Cameroon’s youth are rising up because they know who truly won this election.”
Frank called on the United States, European Union, African Union, and other democratic allies to refuse recognition of Biya’s government if it clings to power and instead acknowledge Tchiroma Bakary as president-elect.
He also urged the international community to consider targeted diplomatic and economic sanctions against Biya’s regime should the will of the people be overturned.
“I call on President Donald Trump and other global leaders to take a stand by recognising Bakary and sanctioning Biya’s regime. The era of election rigging in Africa must end. The people’s mandate must prevail,” he declared.
Frank praised Trump’s recent diplomatic interventions in the Middle East but urged him to extend similar resolve to Africa’s growing democratic crisis.
He warned that global inaction would embolden authoritarian leaders across the continent and could even set a dangerous precedent for Nigeria’s 2027 elections.
“If the international community stays silent, what is happening in Cameroon could easily spread across Africa — including Nigeria. The African Union must act now. Silence in the face of injustice is complicity,” he warned.
Frank also appealed to Cameroon’s military and police to show restraint and end the violent suppression of peaceful demonstrators.
“We urge Cameroon’s security agencies to stop arresting, tear-gassing, and killing peaceful protesters. Their duty is to protect citizens, not persecute them,” he said.
Commending the courage of Cameroon’s young people, Frank described them as the heartbeat of a new democratic awakening on the continent.
“Africa’s youth have decided that enough is enough. In Cameroon, they are standing up to decades of oppression with courage and conviction. We stand in solidarity with them,” he stated.
He drew parallels with other political flashpoints on the continent, including Ivory Coast, where President Alassane Ouattara, 83, is reportedly seeking a controversial fourth term in office.
“From Cameroon to Ivory Coast, we see the same troubling pattern of sit-tight leadership,” Frank said. “Africa cannot move forward while a few cling to power at all costs.”
Frank concluded by calling on global powers to set a new standard for electoral justice in Africa.
“The world must act decisively — to recognise Issa Tchiroma Bakary as the legitimate president-elect, to save Cameroon from chaos, and to uphold democracy across Africa,” he declared.
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