Angu Lesley Ngwa Akonwi
Football Writer,kick442.com-Cameroon
Cameroon’s Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, has ignited controversy on the eve of the country’s presidential election, after comparing the race between President Paul Biya and his challengers to a football match between Coton Sport of Garoua and Real Madrid.
Speaking to local reporters while overseeing final preparations for Saturday’s vote, Minister Nji made an analogy that quickly went viral across social media.
“When there is a match between Coton Sport of Garoua and Real Madrid, what do you think will be the score?” he asked rhetorically.
Many Cameroonians interpreted the comment as implying that President Biya — in power since 1982 and Africa’s longest-serving elected leader — faces little genuine competition. Critics say the remark exposes bias within the electoral administration and risks undermining confidence in the credibility of the vote.
Opposition parties and civic groups swiftly condemned the statement, calling it “a blatant show of partiality” from an official tasked with ensuring neutrality. “The people’s vote should not be treated like a foregone conclusion,” one opposition spokesperson told local media.
President Biya’s most popular challenger per the turnouts in the campaign has been Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who is a well-known supporter of Cotonsport and comes from the club’s Northern Region.
The Social Democratic Front(SDF) which has been the lead opposition party in Cameroon for years shares the same white and green colours like Cotonsport. The question on many lips is which if the institutions is Minister Nji refering to as Cotonsport and which is Real Madrid?.
Supporters of the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM), however, defended Atanganji’s words as “a metaphor” expressing confidence in the president’s enduring popularity and political strength.
President Biya, 92, is seeking another seven-year term amid economic challenges, youth unemployment, and ongoing security concerns in parts of the country. His main rivals have vowed to push for generational change and democratic renewal.
With polling stations set to open across Cameroon on 12 October, all eyes are now on how the electoral process unfolds — and whether Atanganji’s football analogy will further galvanize opposition turnout or deepen public skepticism toward an election already viewed by many as one-sided.
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