Shall the 2018 Presidential elections be postponed?

If the last September 20 decision by CAF, that Cameroon shall host the 2019 edition of the African Cup of Nations did not rattle some political juggernauts as to what might happen to Cameroon’s election calendar as from 2018, then, they should, immediately, scuttle out of their cozy slumber for the spin doctors of the famous “The People’s Call” who are, surely, already hard at work.

The CAF announcement, nevertheless, was received with a lot of warmth by many a Cameroonian, after having stayed in the cold of not being opportune to host this great African soccer show for over 42 years. Granted if things are well managed, Cameroon might end up reaping some huge economic benefits from the several billions of FCFA that shall be invested for this 2019 project.

For instance, the Government has already indicated that a lot shall have to be done in terms of putting in place new infrastructure such as the expected construction of the Paul Biya 60,000-seater capacity stadium at the Olembe neighbourhood in Yaounde.

Besides, other structures such as the Bafoussam stadium being built by the Chinese needs completion. Many roads need to be rehabilitated, while money shall also have to be spent, probably, to upgrade the train lines liking the host cities of Yaounde, Douala; and maybe extending to Bafoussam and Garoua. The airports in these host cities shall also need some renovations as well as other facilities that need to be in place, such as standard hotels, hospitals, among others.

The above picture of what Cameroon needs to do, plus a lot more, is what has alarmed some pundits to have reasons to revisit Cameroon’s political calendar from 2018 and try an analysis of the series of events to come.

Going by Cameroon’s political calendar and the electoral law that was re-doctored in 2008, giving the incumbent President a limitless number of terms in office, Cameroonians shall have to be back to the polls in 2018 to elect a new Head of State. Biya’s current seven-year mandate is expected to expire in 2018.

But, with the present situation and given the 2019 AFCON that is expected to gulp a lot of billions for its hosting, many pundits think the Government might want to push the elections calendar until after the Nations Cup in January and February 2019.

But, again, the above might not only be the sole reason why the 2018 election or elections shall have to be pushed ahead. The authors of the 2010 CPDM ‘treatise’ titled, “Biya, The People’s Call,” are certainly working hard now for the publication of other editions.

The 2011 editions of the “Biya, The People’s Call” was a compilation of motions of support messages from different CPDM sections across the country, which, according to the authors, was ample proof that Cameroonians, if not, CPDM militants, were still very supportive of Biya to stand as their Presidential candidate in the election of that year.

This “Call” was, nevertheless, ruthlessly in opposition to the wishes of some muffled voices within the same CPDM who would have loved to see Biya out of the way. For Biya had, as at 2011, already clocked 29 years on the same saddle as Head of State. And in 2018, he shall have added seven more years to make him 36 in office.

But Biya’s long stay in office or his age, 86 by 2018, is not, certainly, what is currently bothering him or his spin doctors. At least, they are comforted that Mugabe is still up and kicking in Zimbabwe, despite fast inching on his 90th birthday.

‘Paul Biya Stadium’ And AFCON Host The Late President Ahmadou Ahidjo, in 1972, had the honour of hosting the 8th edition of the Nations Cup in the Yaounde Omnisport Stadium, today named in his honour. The 1972 show, which had Jean Paul Akono and Jean Pierre Tokoto as some of the legendary Lions of that year, was played in the Douala Re-unification Stadium and the Yaounde Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium.

Cameroon, owing to the increase in the number of participating countries from eight to 16, has opted to have the tournament hosted in four cities. And if things go as planned, a new stadium shall have to be built in Douala, another in Yaounde, maybe the one in Garoua shall be refurbished and Bafoussam is nearing completion. The new stadium in Limbe shall, certainly, play host to the 2016 female African Nations Cup.

Given that the ‘Paul Biya’ stadium shall certainly be one of the iconic venues or memento in Biya’s honour, it is certainly hard to surmise how the authors of The People’s Call would let this political chip slip off from the bargain package for Biya to shelve the 2018 electoral calendar, stay on, build his relic, inaugurate it with AFCON 2019.

And if there could be an alternative, then, Frank Biya might have to get into the show as has been muted at some instances.

Or do you fathom a scenario where the Paul Biya Stadium shall be inaugurated by someone else in 2019 other than the winner of the 2018 presidential elections? The chants from the Paul Biya stadium shall come to tell us better.