Monday 18 January 2016

Casualty in political warfare?

Mbonge mayor dies of undisclosed illness
The death has been announced of the mayor of Mbonge municipality. William Sakwe Ekong died in the afternoon of Friday 15 January 2016, we can confirm.
    Family sources said he died of a protracted illness. The sources said his health situation had deteriorated lately and arrangements were being made to take him to a prophet in Douala on Saturday 16 January 2016, for intensive prayers and miracle healing. But Mayor William Sakwe died just now.
    A political juggernaut in Mbonge subdivision in Meme Division of the South West region, William Sakwe was president of Mbonge CPDM section for over 15 years.  He later became mayor of Mbonge council, replacing his cousin, Hon. Otte Andrew Mofa, who went to the senate after two mandates as mayor.
    Sources say William Sakwe has not had a quite stay at the helm of the Mbonge council. This is because his election was vigorously contested by the SDF party that was believed to have won the election.
    During his installation as mayor, security operatives used tear gas to disperse a raging mob that had mobilized to disrupt the event.
    Apart from his troubles at the council, Mayor William Sakwe and his cousin Otte Andrew were also bitterly criticised by the Bakundus for grabbing and holding tight to all the available political positions in Mbonge sub-division. William Sakwe and Otte Mofa are Mbonges from Big Nganjo village. The two have shared the positions of CPDM Section president, Mayor of Mbonge and now senator for over 15 years.
While William Sakwe was section president (between 2000 - 2015), his brother Otte Mofa was mayor from 2004-2013. When Otte vacated the mayoral seat to become senator, it was his brother Sakwe William who replaced him. Then as if that was not enough, it was Otte Mofa again who recently won the CPDM section presidency in Mbonge, to replace William Sakwe. .
    It should be mentioned that Otte Mofa defeated a Bakundu, Ndoh Bertha Bakata, special adviser to the PM, to grab the section seat.
    It is believed that this refusal by the two Mbonge brothers from Big Nganjo village to share political power with the Bakundus has been a source of real frustration to the Bakundus, who are said to be the biggest single tribe in Mbonge sub-division and even Meme Division.
    This state of affairs has therefore put Bakundu elite permanently at daggers-drawn with the two Big Nganjo pillars -Sakwe William Ekong and Hon. Otte Andrew Mofa.
    But apart from politics, Ekong William Sakwe was also seriously criticized by the king makers (traditional council) of Big Nganjo, for being too arrogant and high-handed. The Big Nganjo traditional council was reported to have addressed successive petitions to the Meme SDO and even the MINADT in which they complained bitterly about Chief Ekong William’s excesses.
    Because of the many battles, both political and traditional, that Ekong William has been fighting many are speculating that his death might not be from natural circumstances.

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