Cameroonian opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who has declared himself the winner of the October 12 elections, has told the BBC that he will not accept a stolen vote. The results will be announced on Monday.
He says his team put together the big picture based on results from individual polling stations, so there’s no doubt about that.
Tchiroma Bakary, 76, is a former minister who broke ranks with President Paul Biya, 92, who is seeking another term after 43 years in power.
The ruling party has rejected Tchiroma Bakary’s claims of victory and several officials have labeled them illegal because only the Constitutional Council can announce official results.
Tchiroma Bakary said he had urged his supporters to defend their votes, adding: “We will never accept their votes being stolen by anyone.”
He said he was not worried about being arrested or jailed, “but I know I have already won the presidential election.”
“There is no doubt, no doubt whatsoever. My victory is undeniable,” he told the BBC in an interview.
He said the ruling CPDM party had its “back against the wall” and could not accept the reality of the elections, challenging them to show whether what he said about the elections was wrong.
He defended his decision to declare himself the winner, stressing that the law “doesn’t stop us from doing that.”
Tensions over the delayed announcement of election results have increased, raising fears of post-election violence in a country already rocked by a separatist conflict in the English-speaking regions and the Boko Haram insurgency in the far north.
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