Obala, May 23, 2025 — What was meant to be a significant moment of democratic celebration has turned into yet another episode of abuse of power. The public meeting scheduled for this Friday in Obala, marking the 35th anniversary of the Social Democratic Front (SDF), was arbitrarily banned by the sub-prefect and the town’s mayor. The event was to be presided over by the party’s national president, Honorable Joshua Osih.

In a statement released today, the Regional Secretary of the SDF for the Centre region, Tangeh George Werengong, expressed outrage at this decision, which he calls a blatant refusal by the authorities to respect fundamental freedoms.

In reaction to this ban, the SDF qualifies this attitude of the Administrative and Municipal Authorities of the City of OBALA as inconsistent, calls on its militants to exercise restraint and calm, and encourages them to pursue with greater commitment and determination their activities of mobilisation in the field, registration on the electoral roll and recruitment of Electoral Agents, the pledge of our forthcoming victories in 2025 and 2026.

This is neither the first nor the last time such a ban targets an opposition party in Cameroon. But this episode sheds a harsh light on the nature of the regime in power: a façade democracy where freedom of assembly and freedom of expression are constantly trampled upon by the administration with impunity.

According to the 2023 World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index, Cameroon ranks 134th out of 142 countries. This damning ranking reflects multiple violations of the rule of law — of which this ban is just one example. The country, led for 43 years by Paul Biya, now 93 years old, reveals through such decisions the vast gap between official discourse and reality on the ground.

By continually banning dissenting voices, Cameroonian authorities themselves burst the myth of a so-called “Rule of Law” proudly proclaimed in official speeches. This ongoing confiscation of public space weakens not only citizens’ trust in institutions but also undermines any real prospects for democratic dialogue.

“Hopefully, very soon, we will be able to meet the People in Obala,” the SDF statement concludes. But in a country where peaceful assembly or holding a simple political meeting has become an act of defiance, the question is no longer when — but if this meeting can still take place.

The silence from the authorities in Obala regarding this ban remains deafening.