Tchiroma Stages Counter-Rally After Biya’s Maroua Visit

A Calculated Counter-Move

Tchiroma’s announcement was confirmed in a communiqué signed by his campaign’s departmental mobilisation chief Elhadj Souleymanou Hamadou. The document urges FSNC militants and supporters across the Diamaré division to “mobilise massively” for rallies on 8 and 9 October. Caravans will depart from Carrefour Para and Carrefour Gaclé before heading to Mokolo and Mora, culminating in a “historic meeting” in Maroua.

The timing is symbolic. Biya’s visit to the Far North on 7 October was meant to reaffirm his party’s dominance in the region. Tchiroma’s decision to follow immediately is widely seen as a strategic challenge — a show that loyalty in the north can no longer be taken for granted.

Far North as Political Battlefield

The Far North has long been the RDPC’s stronghold and Biya’s personal anchor of support. But Tchiroma, a native of the region and former minister in Biya’s governments, is seeking to reclaim that space on his own terms. His platform centres on decentralisation, technical education, and the release of political prisoners to “restore national trust and ease tensions in the Far North and the restoration-statehood zones of former British Cameroon.”

Campaign coordinators say the goal is to reconnect with the grassroots and present Tchiroma as a leader of dialogue rather than defiance. His recent reconciliation with his brother Hassana Tchiroma — once a local rival — has bolstered his regional network.

Endorsements and Momentum

In recent days, Tchiroma has garnered support from several public figures, including renowned journalist Éric Chinje, who called him “one of the most honest and reliable politicians I know.” Chinje joins civil-society voices such as Alice Kom and Rebecca Enonchong, who have publicly endorsed the FSNC candidate.

For the party, these endorsements signal a broadening of appeal beyond its northern base — a move aimed at casting Tchiroma as the main alternative to Biya’s 40-year rule. Online slogans like “Le pouvoir au peuple” and “Change has come” are now flooding social media pages and campaign banners across the Septentrion.

A “Popular Reply” to Biya’s Message

According to sources within the FSNC, the Maroua meeting on 9 October will serve as a political mirror to Biya’s rally — same city, same stage, different message. Tchiroma intends to lay out his vision for a “second independence,” anchored in social justice, youth employment, and respect for freedoms.

Aides say his speech will reiterate calls for dialogue with restoration fighters and for investment in the north’s infrastructure — roads, education, and agriculture. By holding his meeting immediately after Biya’s, he hopes to project courage and contrast: a man of the people versus a president governed by distance.

Local Reactions and Expectations

In Maroua, anticipation is palpable. Markets are adorned with FSNC banners, and youth volunteers prepare convoys under the motto “Work, Love, Justice.” Residents told Cameroon Concord that the duel between Biya and Tchiroma has become the region’s talking point. “People want to see who really owns the Far North,” said a student from Mokolo.

Security forces are expected to tighten control along major routes, given the region’s recent Boko Haram incidents. Authorities privately admit concern over crowd sizes and logistics, as both events unfold within the same week.

The Significance of 9 October

For Tchiroma, 9 October is not just a date but a declaration — a public claim that change no longer belongs to whispers or Facebook posts but to streets and voters. His supporters describe the rally as “the people’s march towards liberation.” Whether that narrative translates into votes remains to be seen, but the momentum in the north is undeniable.

Cameroon’s Far North has become the stage of a symbolic duel — between the continuity of power and the promise of renewal.