By NDI EUGENE NDI

More by this Author

Cameroon’s Constitutional Council Wednesday resumed hearing the petitions calling for the cancellation of the October 7 presidential election; ahead of the proclamation of the final outcome.

The constitutional watchdog on Tuesday adjourned ruling on two of 18 petitions after over nine-hour long hearing during which 16 complaints were examined and rejected.

The council’s president, Justice Clement Atangana, ruled that candidate Cabral Libii of the National Union for Integration Towards Solidarity (UNIVERS) party’s petition for a “complete annulment” of the electoral process could not be admissible. He said the petition, which had “no legal references and insufficient proofs”, was submitted one hour after the legally stipulated deadline in violation of section 133 of the electoral code. The said article states that such petitions must reach the court within 72 hours of the close of the poll.

Political parties

The council also rejected 15 other petitions for the cancelation of the vote from two aspirants, whose candidacies were rejected by the poll agency, ELECAM. The court ruled that Mr Bertin Kisob of the Cameroon Party for Social Justice and cleric Gabanmidanha Rigobert Aminou had no locus standi to petition the court.

Justice Atangana said the council ruled only on petitions filed by candidates, political parties which took part in the election, or any person serving as a representative of the administration for the election.

The court also nullified a petition by Prof Maurice Kamto of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (CRM) for the recusal of its six members, who according to the opposition leader, still had affiliations with the ruling party in violation of the law. But Justice Atangana ruled that only the President of the Republic, who appoints members of the court, has the prerogative to disqualify or question the impartiality of its members.

The 11-member council was Wednesday expected to rule on another petition by the CRM candidate calling for the revocation of the vote in seven of 10 regions due to "multiple irregularities, severe cases of fraud and violation of the law".

Tight security

The court will also pass judgement on petition from Mr Joshua Osih of the leading opposition, the Social Democratic Front (SDF), calling for a complete annulment of the vote which he alleged was “marred by a string of irregularities that undermine national unity and seriously compromise the sincerity of its results”.

The council, that went into operation in February this year and was deliberating over a presidential election for the first time, is meeting under tight security with multiple security agencies patrolling the Yaoundé Conference Centre that hosts the judicial institution.

No appeal or other legal remedy is allowed against the verdict of the Constitutional Court, according the constitution. The council will proceed with the proclamation of the final outcome after ruling on all the petitions.

The final results must be announced not later than October 22, according to the law.

President Biya who faced seven opposition candidates, is widely expected to win and extend his 36-year rule of the Central African country to 2025, totalling 43 years at the helm.