IDP Student Writes Open Letter Urging Minister Paul Atanga Nji
A Cameroonian student, Mohamad Idirisu , from the Polytechnic of Maroua, has penned an open letter to the Minister of Territorial Administration, Hon. Paul Atanga Nji , calling for fairness, neutrality, and respect for citizens' electoral rights in the wake of the recent presidential elections.
Idirisu, an internally displaced person from Wum due to the Anglophone crisis, questioned what he described as a double standard in how election results are being treated. He cited Articles 113 and 137 of Cameroon's Electoral Code , emphasizing that polling station results are public and that candidates have the right to interpret them โ while the Constitutional Council's role is only to confirm, not alter, those results.
The student criticized the Minister for mixing political partisanship with administrative duty , referencing remarks comparing President Paul Biya's campaign to โReal Madridโ and an opposition candidate's to โCoton Sport.โ He argued that such statements undermine public trust and the integrity of state institutions.
Expressing frustration over years of conflict and displacement, Idirisu appealed to the Minister to โlet the will of the people standโ and to ensure that official actions promote peace, unity, and transparency .
The letter closes with a personal plea: "I am tired of seeing blood. I lost classmates, brothers, uncles. Let history remember you as a Minister who stood for peace and reason."