Old Guard Tightens Grip While New CPDM Faces First Internal Power Struggle
The corridors of power in La République are already heating up as cracks begin to show within the ruling CPDM machinery. What should have been a smooth transition at the so-called National Assembly in Yaoundé has instead exposed the greed and entitlement of a regime that has long treated state property as personal assets.
After an astonishing 32 years of presiding over the lower chamber, Cavaye Yeguié Djibril is refusing to hand over official state vehicles, including a recently acquired Mercedes-Benz and another luxury car. Even more telling is his demand to retain a fleet of vehicles over 10 years old, further underscoring how deeply rooted the culture of state capture is within the system.
In a rare show of resistance from within the same regime, Secretary-General André Noël Essiane has pushed back firmly. He has made it clear that these vehicles belong to the state and not to individuals who have long fed off public resources. According to him, only the new leadership of the Assembly has the authority to decide on the management or disposal of such assets, in accordance with existing administrative rules.
This unfolding drama follows the March 17 replacement of Cavaye by Théodore Datouo, another loyalist of the CPDM from the Western region of La République. The reshuffle also extended to the Senate, where Aboubakary Abdoulaye has been installed as its new head. Yet, instead of signalling renewal, the transition is already exposing internal tensions and the unwillingness of long-serving regime figures to relinquish privileges.
At 86, Cavaye’s departure should have marked the quiet end of an era. Instead, it has turned into a public display of the dysfunction that defines governance in La République du Cameroun. For many in Ambazonia, this is yet another reminder that the system they seek to break away from is one built on entitlement, impunity, and the personalisation of state resources.
