Cameroon’s CRM Challenges Court Authority in Bid to Install Ad Hoc Administrator

The Cameroon Renaissance Movement (CRM) has challenged the authority of a Yaoundé court to consider a request for the appointment of an ad hoc administrator to intervene in the party’s internal affairs. The court is due to rule on September 17, with the dispute still active despite recent changes at the top of the opposition party.

The Yaoundé-Ekounou Court of First Instance closed arguments on September 15 in the case brought by Willy Mengue, Kamegne Georgette Laure, also known as Laure Noutchang, and Sébastien Mbala Wouria II against the CRM. The court is expected to issue its order at noon on Thursday, September 17.

The three petitioners have maintained their request for the appointment of a court-designated ad hoc administrator within the CRM. According to an account of the hearing released by Hippolyte Meli Tiakouang, a member of the party’s legal team, submissions filed on September 15 ask the court to give the administrator responsibilities intended to “normalize” the party’s operations.

The petitioners did not attend the hearing. Their lawyer, Francis Bipan, was also absent, but one of his associates filed their submissions. According to Meli Tiakouang’s account, the associate told the court that his mandate was limited to filing the documents and that he would not take part in oral arguments. No request for an adjournment was made.

CRM lawyers Hippolyte Meli Tiakouang, Martin Ntene Nzohoua, Fidèle Djoumbissie and Emmanuel Simh argued that the emergency judge should not intervene. Their case centers in part on whether the court has jurisdiction and whether a judge in emergency proceedings can appoint an administrator with authority over the internal affairs of a political party.

CRM Challenges the Court’s Jurisdiction

The CRM has pursued that argument since July. After an initial hearing on July 9, the case was adjourned until July 16 to allow the party’s lawyers to review the petition and supporting documents.

At the July 16 hearing, the CRM raised several objections. Its lawyers challenged the emergency judge’s jurisdiction, disputed the existence of an urgent matter and argued that the case involved substantive legal disputes that could not be resolved through emergency proceedings. They also raised objections related to form and the petitioners’ legal interest in bringing the case.

The matter was then adjourned until July 21 to allow the petitioners’ lawyer to respond.

The public prosecutor’s office has also taken a position during the proceedings. According to Meli Tiakouang’s account after the September hearings, written submissions from prosecutors support the argument that the emergency judge lacks jurisdiction.

The prosecutor’s office reportedly considers disputes over the operation of the CRM and the validity of its internal decisions to constitute a “serious dispute” that cannot be resolved through emergency proceedings without addressing the substance of the case.

No public copy of those submissions has been identified, however. Their contents are therefore reported on the basis of the account provided by the CRM’s defense team.

Article 185 of Cameroon’s Code of Civil and Commercial Procedure states that orders issued in emergency proceedings must not prejudice the main case. CRM lawyers cite that restriction to argue that appointing an ad hoc administrator would require the emergency judge to intervene in matters that, in their view, belong to the merits of the dispute.

The party’s lawyers also rely on Law No. 90/056 of December 19, 1990, on political parties. Article 2 states that political parties may be freely established and conduct their activities within the framework of the Constitution and the law.

The court has yet to determine how that provision applies to the dispute or how it relates to the powers of an emergency judge.

Leadership Changes Have Not Ended the Case

The CRM’s internal situation has changed since the proceedings began. Maurice Kamto resigned as national president on September 8, 2026, and Mamadou Yacouba Mota stepped down as first vice president the same day. The party’s Directorate acknowledged both resignations and called an extraordinary national convention for October 10 in Yaoundé.

Candidates for the vacant positions must submit their applications by 10 a.m. on October 9.

Those leadership changes have not prompted the petitioners to withdraw their case. Their September 15 submissions maintain the request for an ad hoc administrator.

The Yaoundé-Ekounou Court of First Instance must now determine whether it has authority to consider that request through emergency proceedings. If it finds that it does, the court will then have to decide what action, if any, to take on the petition.

Thierry Christophe Yamb