A major change has occurred at the head of the National Assembly of Cameroon. According to reports on March 17, Cavaye Yéguié Djibril has been replaced by the Honorable Datouo Théodore. This development, if confirmed, would mark the end of a long reign as Speaker of the Lower House of Parliament.
The information was widely shared on social media this Tuesday, March 17, 2026, pending an official statement from the institution. Datouo Théodore, a Member of Parliament from Bangou in the West Region, would thus accede to the speakership after several years in the Assembly Bureau.
According to some sources, this decision was taken at the instigation of the Central Committee of the CPDM, the ruling party.
Cavaye Yéguié Djibril had held this position since 1992, for more than three decades, significantly marking Cameroonian parliamentary life. Born on February 1, 1940, Cavaye is a member of the CPDM and one of the longest-serving politicians in Cameroon. He has been re-elected several times, including on March 4, 2010, and November 4, 2013. In March 2022, he secured 148 votes out of 161 voters during his re-election.
This replacement, if confirmed, would open a new institutional sequence, in a political context where internal balances remain closely linked to the decisions of the majority party.
In July 2025, Cavaye Yéguié Djibril, also the traditional chief of his native village of Mada in the Far North region, was elevated to the rank of first-class traditional chief, a distinction presented by the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji.
The election of Datouo Théodore marks a turning point after more than 30 years of Cavaye Yéguié Djibril's presidency of the National Assembly.
