The recent resignation of Issa Tchiroma Bakary, Minister of Employment and long-time ally of President Paul Biya, sends shockwaves across Cameroon’s political landscape. More than a personal decision, it marks the unraveling of one of the regime’s most symbolic alliances—an alliance that stitched together northern loyalty with southern power in the post-1990 multiparty era.
Tchiroma’s departure comes at a time when President Biya’s succession question looms large, opposition forces are rallying, and institutional fatigue is visible. As a northern heavyweight with historical ties to both the opposition and the ruling coalition, his defection reveals not only dissatisfaction but a recalibration of power in the North. The CPDM has long depended on Tchiroma to secure electoral backing in Garoua and surrounding districts. Without him, the regime’s grip on the Grand Nord weakens.
This resignation could also foreshadow a broader defection of elite northern voices and a redrawing of political loyalties ahead of the October 2025 elections. Whether Tchiroma intends to run for president, form a coalition, or play kingmaker remains unclear—but one thing is certain: his exit punctures the illusion of unanimity within the CPDM and signals that winds of change are blowing even within its strongest bastions.
