Barrister Emmanuel Nsahlai, who filed the petition against Tchiroma, relies on Article 118 of the Cameroonian Electoral Code, which states that anyone who has placed themselves in a situation of dependence or collusion with a person, organisation, or foreign power is ineligible to contest the presidency.
By The Independentist political Desk
In trying to disqualify Issa Tchiroma from the presidential race, La République du Cameroun has legally acknowledged Ambazonia’s separate status through its own Electoral Code.
A significant political development has unfolded in Yaoundé with far-reaching implications for the ongoing conflict between La République du Cameroun and Ambazonia. In a legal memorandum filed to disqualify presidential candidate Issa Tchiroma, the Cameroonian legal establishment has referred to Ambazonia as a foreign power.
This reference is not incidental. It forms the central basis of the argument advanced by Barrister Emmanuel Nsahlai, who filed the petition against Tchiroma. He relies on Article 118 of the Cameroonian Electoral Code, which states that anyone who has placed themselves in a situation of dependence or collusion with a person, organisation, or foreign power is ineligible to contest the presidency.
The memorandum focuses on statements made by Issa Tchiroma during a rally in Bamenda on 4 October 2025. Tchiroma publicly admitted that he was in regular contact with Ambazonian leaders, described Chris Anu as his “best friend,” and acknowledged that he relied on Ambazonian protection while on Ambazonian soil. The petition argues that these admissions amount to collusion with a foreign power, rendering him ineligible to run.
Their Law, Our Proof
For decades, the government in Yaoundé has characterised Ambazonians as secessionists. However, in this legal filing, the state itself uses the term “foreign power” to describe Ambazonia. This language undermines the narrative of secession. One cannot secede from a country one was never part of.
This legal development reinforces what Ambazonians have maintained since 1961: that they are a distinct people and territory under illegal occupation, not a region breaking away from Cameroon. By invoking Article 118, Yaoundé has provided legal proof of Ambazonia’s separate status through its own law.
The Legal Trap
The implications extend beyond Issa Tchiroma. Other presidential aspirants, including Cabral Libii, Joshua Osih, Akere Muna, and Iyodi Samuel Hiram, have also campaigned on Ambazonian territory. By the same legal reasoning, their actions could be classified as collusion with a foreign power, potentially disqualifying them from the presidential race.
In seeking to eliminate one candidate, the regime may have inadvertently ensnared many others, exposing a significant contradiction in its political and legal positions.
A Turning Point in the Narrative
For Ambazonians, this moment represents a critical turning point. It provides a clear legal acknowledgment, from within Yaoundé itself, that Ambazonia is not part of La République du Cameroun. For those who have doubted this position or accepted the Francophone narrative of secession, the memorandum offers undeniable clarity.
For the international community, this legal wording stands as an unambiguous statement from Cameroon’s own legal system. The regime cannot simultaneously claim Ambazonia as part of its “one and indivisible nation” while labelling it foreign in its legal proceedings. The contradiction is now a matter of public record.
The Road Ahead
This development must not pass quietly. Ambazonians at home and abroad have a responsibility to communicate this fact clearly: Yaoundé has recognised Ambazonia as foreign in its own law. This is not propaganda, but legal reality.
The memorandum against Issa Tchiroma may have been intended to remove a political rival, but it has instead revealed the core truth that undercuts decades of official propaganda. Ambazonia is not a breakaway region. It is a foreign power under occupation, and Yaoundé’s own legal framework has confirmed it.
The Independentist political Desk
Leave feedback about this