“This outrageous act, occurring just three months before the presidential election, is a clear sign of the regime’s growing anxiety in the face of the rising momentum of the democratic opposition, the party said in a statement yesterday.
The Social Democratic Front party, SDF, has announced that its regional headquarter for the Centre Region has been destroyed. According to the party, the Yaounde-based structure was “unlawfully demolished on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, reportedly on the orders of a senior officer of the National Gendarmerie.” The party described the act as a full reflection of the growing anxiety that the regime in power is developing as the nation edges closer to the forthcoming 2025 presidential election. “This outrageous act, occurring just three months before the presidential election, is a clear sign of the regime’s growing anxiety in the face of the rising momentum of the democratic opposition,” the party further stated in a statement made public by its communications team.
“The SDF strongly condemns this act of political intimidation, which constitutes a serious violation of the civil and political freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution. We wish to reassure our militants, sympathizers, and all citizens committed to justice: the SDF remains steadfast, mobilized, and more determined than ever to pursue the path toward democratic change and victory in 2025,” the Hon Joshua Osih-led structure said. The party added that its “legal team is actively working to uncover the full circumstances of this incident, establish accountability, and ensure that justice is served.” The SDF is considered one of the biggest threats to the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement party, the CPDM ahead of the 2025 presidential election which is expected to take place in October this year.
As a party that has representatives in both houses of parliament; the National Assembly and the Senate, and controls several councils across the country is believed to have what it takes to cause an upset in the 2025 polls. The SDF ranked second in the 1992, 2004 and 2011 presidential elections with its then candidate, the late Ni John Fru Ndi, losing all three polls to the CPDM’s Paul Biya. Fru Ndi notably gathered 35.97% of the votes in 1992, just behind Biya’s 39.98%. Although details about the recent destruction of the party’s regional office in Yaounde still remain sketchy, it has been described by a section of observers as a subtle move by the CPDM regime to destabilize the party as it braces for the October 2025 poll.
In the last few months, the SDF has been organizing meetings in a bid to build momentum ahead of the October showdown. The activities have been led by the party’s National Chairman, Joshua Osih who has been officially selected as the 35-year-old structure’s chosen flag bearer for the 2025 election.
