By Boris Esono Nwenfor
BUEA, Cameroon – 72-year-old Barrister Akere Muna, an anti-corruption activist and former president of Transparency International Cameroon says he’s not just campaigning for power, but for what he calls a five-year “transition mandate” to reset a nation battered by decades of stagnation, corruption, and unresolved conflict.
In an exclusive interview with DW Africa, Akere Muna, a member of the African Union High-Level Panel on Illicit Financial Flows from Africa, laid out his vision for a new Cameroon, arguing that his age and experience are strengths, not setbacks, in a system that desperately needs institutional reform.
“I’m not trying to be a king. I’m trying to serve,” Akere Muna said. “And we need a transition, which I put at five years, less than the seven years that will permit us to reset the system. And then everybody can come in and I will leave after that.”
“So what I’m proposing today is different from what I did in 2018. And of course, now we also have a critical situation with a president who is seven years older. We have seen the country stagnate. We have seen the institutions stagnate. And we’ve seen corruption grow to amazing levels.”
From Civil Society to Coalition Candidate
Although he once bowed out of the 2018 Presidential race in favour of fellow opposition figure Maurice Kamto, Akere Mun says the stakes in 2025 are too high for hesitation. This time, he is running under the banner of a coalition led by political parties like UNIVER and UPC, alongside smaller civil society groups. His candidacy, they argue, is uniquely positioned to address two of Cameroon’s most critical issues: the lingering Anglophone crisis and systemic corruption.
“Thirty years of my life I’ve spent in the fight against corruption,” Mona told DW Africa, referencing his experience in institutions like Transparency International, the African Union’s Economic and Social Council, and the African Peer Review Mechanism. “It would be a shame not to use that knowledge now.”
“30 years of my life I’ve spent in the fight against corruption. So I just thought, it would be a shame for me not to use the knowledge I have amassed in many institutions against corruption, governance, and for governance, be it the African Peer Review Mechanism. I wound up being the chair of the Eminent Persons Panel, be it at the level of the African Union, where I was president of the very first elected Economic and Social Council, be it in Transparency International for nine years, where I was the international vice president, be it in the International Anti-Corruption Council, where I was chair.”
“I have this experience of governance and fighting against corruption. And that is really what is killing our country. There are two things our country needs to solve; Corruption and the problem in the North West and South West. These go to the heart of the kind of debacle in which our country is. And because of that, I think the elections of 2025 are critical. So, that’s why I think that 2018 was 2018, and 2025, I’m all in,” Akere Muna added.
A Divided Opposition, A Unified Goal?
Cameroon’s opposition has historically struggled to present a united front, often undermined by fragmented loyalties and personal ambitions. Asked whether he would support another opposition candidate like Kamto again, Muna did not rule it out – but questioned the logic of using 2018 results as a political barometer in 2025.
“I am from the civil society; I don’t have a political party. So when you talk about the fragmentation of political parties, I agree with you, it doesn’t concern me. I’m willing to work with whomever,” Akere Muna said. “Elections are not frozen. The electorate evolves. You can’t assume someone who voted seven years ago will vote the same way today.”
Muna also pointed out that while Kamto boycotted the 2020 parliamentary elections, other opposition figures like Cabral Libii and his PCRN party secured over 500 elected officials – a metric he believes matters more than past presidential vote shares. In contrast, the ruling CPDM boasts over 9,000 municipal councillors.
“I am open to working with any opposition figure. But we must be realistic about who brings what to the table,” he emphasized. “We have planned to make sure that we are present now in 360 districts of the country and we are now slowly making sure that we can fit in all the polling stations. So that’s a strategy. I’m proposing a transition government that will come in, do all the institutional reform, and do the audit.”
A Transition Blueprint
At the heart of Muna’s campaign is a promise to deliver a transition government that would last just five years, during which he vows to carry out sweeping institutional reforms, address the Anglophone crisis, integrate the diaspora into political life, and audit the country’s financial books.
Key points of his plan include: declaring assets, dual nationality, nationwide consultation, and Inclusive dialogue – a new platform for solving the Anglophone conflict, possibly with third-party mediation.
“I know what the problems are. The government is disconnected from the people. My mission is to restore that connection and institutional accountability,” he said.
Some Cameroonians have argued that the country needs younger leadership. But Muna dismissed concerns over his age, especially when compared to the sitting president, Paul Biya, who is 92 and has been in power for over four decades.
“When I was in secondary school, they said we were the future. I’m 72 now – am I still the future?” he quipped. “Age should not be the focus. The question is: who can get the job done, and who has the experience to reset the system?”
The former chairman of the International Anti-corruption Conference did not mince words when assessing President Biya’s decade year rule. “Nepotism is on the rise. Corruption is on the rise. Infrastructure is destroyed,” Akere Muna said.
“If you were eight years old when Biya became president, today you’re 50? You’ve been to primary school, secondary school, university, and married. You’re five years from retirement. These people, between eight and 50, what systems do they know? What choices can they determine?”
In a country where political loyalty is deeply entrenched, and electoral transparency is often questioned, the real test may not just be Akere Muna’s vision – but whether Cameroonians can rally around a transitional leader for lasting change.
