Yaoundé, November 15, 2025 (True Cameroon) — Francis Ngannou, Cameroon’s most globally recognized athlete and one of Africa’s most respected sports figures, has done what many public personalities inside the country fear to do: speak openly and honestly about Cameroon’s political crisis.
In an interview with journalist Jean Bruno Tagne on Autant le Dire, Ngannou was asked a simple but profound question:
Would you have voted for President Paul Biya?
His answer was immediate, clear, and unambiguous:
“No. No! No!”
For a man admired across the world for his discipline, humility, and courage, the statement carries weight far beyond the studio walls. It reflects the thoughts of millions of Cameroonians who feel trapped in a system that has refused to renew itself after more than four decades.
I. A Voter Disenfranchised Like Millions of Cameroonians
Ngannou revealed that he wanted to vote but his voter card arrived too late, a problem familiar to countless citizens across the country.
Late voter cards.
Incomplete registers.
Administrative delays.
Opaque processes.
These have become recurring features of Cameroon’s electoral landscape, particularly under the centralized machinery of the CPDM-dominated system, where the state’s control over elections often results in logistical dysfunction that conveniently disadvantages genuine participation.
Ngannou’s experience is not unique. It is symptomatic.
II. “After 43 years, he has given what he could give.”
Ngannou’s critique was not insulting.
It was sober, respectful, and profoundly logical.
His reasoning spoke to a universal truth:
no leader should govern a nation for 43 years.
He added:
“If he were my father or grandfather, I would not have advised him to continue.”
This statement is not just politics it is generational wisdom.
It reflects:
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a desire for renewal
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a belief in leadership rotation
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the understanding that power must not become a lifetime possession
Ngannou highlighted what many Cameroonians already know: longevity in office is not proof of stability but evidence of institutional stagnation.
III. When Icons Speak, Regimes Fear
Cameroon’s political climate has long discouraged public figures musicians, athletes, actors from expressing political views. Many fear:
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censorship
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retaliation
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exclusion from state-controlled industries
But Ngannou’s stature is different.
He owes nothing to the regime.
He built his career without government assistance.
He represents the global face of Cameroonian excellence.
When a figure like Ngannou speaks, the world listens, and the regime cannot easily dismiss him as partisan.
This is why his refusal to support Paul Biya resonates so strongly.
IV. A Mirror of National Sentiment
Ngannou’s remarks capture the voice of a generation that has:
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never known any president other than Biya
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grown up in unemployment, limited opportunities, and underdevelopment
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watched corruption, repression, and militarization expand
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seen the promise of Cameroon stagnate under centralized CPDM control
For millions, political frustration is not ideological it is survival-based.
The fact that a global figure like Ngannou now aligns openly with this sentiment signals a major shift:
the public no longer fears speaking the truth about power.
V. 43 Years in Power: A National Crisis, Not a Personal Critique
Ngannou emphasized a simple reality: leadership must renew itself.
After 43 years, no president regardless of achievements can remain attuned to national realities.
The issue is not Paul Biya as an individual.
The issue is the system:
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a political architecture built on longevity
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a ruling party that suppresses competition
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institutions weakened by overcentralization
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a state that confuses stability with immobility
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elections that lack credibility
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a country unable to transition peacefully
Ngannou’s remarks therefore go beyond one man.
They critique an entire political order.
VI. A Turning Point for Cameroonian Public Discourse
Ngannou’s refusal to endorse Paul Biya is not just symbolic.
It represents a broader awakening:
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Artists are speaking.
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Journalists are resisting censorship.
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Diaspora voices are growing louder.
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Youth are openly demanding change.
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The regime’s narrative monopoly is weakening.
When public figures start to speak truthfully, civic space begins to open even under an authoritarian political structure.
Ngannou did not call for revolution.
He simply told the truth.
But in a politically restricted environment, truth is explosive.
Conclusion: A Champion Speaks for a Nation
Francis Ngannou’s message is clear:
Cameroon deserves renewal. Cameroon deserves the future. No leader should rule forever.
He spoke with humility, respect, and clarity yet his words carried the political power of a knockout punch.
Because when a man who conquered the world refuses to endorse the man who has ruled Cameroon for 43 years, it exposes the central contradiction of the country’s political order:
How long can a system built on silence survive when even its biggest stars are no longer afraid to speak?
Ngannou’s statement may be remembered not just as a quote but as a turning point in Cameroon’s political consciousness.
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