Mbonge Council to pick new mayor in March

By Darel Ngwa in Kumba
Councilors of the Mbonge council will meet on 15 March 2016 to elect a new mayor, after the demise of the mayor of the council, Chief Ekong William Sakwe who died last 15 January 2016 at the Buea regional hospital after a brief illness. Reports from the council say interested candidates for the coveted office of mayor are busy lobbying and politicking to win the support of the majority of cthe councilors.
     It is understood that the Mbonge people will be exploiting all possible ways for one of theirs to complete the mandate of their fallen patriot. Meanwhile on their part, the Bakundus are also leaving nothing to chance as they brace up to get one of theirs accede to the mayor’s seat. The Bakundus are the single largest tribe in Mbonge sub-division but incidentally they have not been able to use their numerical strength to gain a vantage position in the politics of the sub-division. Instead of organizing themselves into a strong political force the Bakundus have remained disunited, with politics of ego being their stock in trade. They keep complaining of the dominance of the Mbonges and how they are being cheated in the power sharing in Mbonge sub-division.

    Borrowing from the president of Mbonge Cultural and Development Organization, MECDO, Justice Bea Abednego Kalle, who during the funeral of the late mayor said: ‘the people are spread in both Konye and Mbonge sub division with over 44 villages but they have always been marginalized when it comes to appointment and holding political position in the sub division reason why they are mourning with pain the death of their patriot.’ By this, the venerated justice and vice president of the court of appeal in Buea meant that the fact that a Bakundu man is mayor in Konye and another Bakundu man as member of parliament for meme west that is Konye and Mbonge, it is therefore imperative for the people of the Mbonge tribe to grab the council seat even though there are other tribes in Mbonge.
    Given the current atmosphere in Mbonge sub division now run by the first Deputy Opunde Graham with assistance from the senior divisional officer for meme, those who are interested in the position are already holding secret meetings with councilors in order to lure them to vote for them.
    The session to elect a new mayor will also provide an opportunity for the councilors to examine and adopt the management accounts of the council for the fiscal year of 2015. It should be mentioned that Mbonge council now has 43 councilors, following the death of two councilors. The council is shared by three political parties; the ruling CPDM with 31 councilors, the SDF withg 10 councilors and the ANDP with 2 councilors.