KupeMuanenguba politics:

The NgolleNgolle - NgoleNgwese reconciliation that never was

A local newspaper report claimed that there has been a détente in the strained relations between the rival brothers from KupeMuanenguba division, Prof. NgolleNgolle Elvis and NhonNgole Philip Ngwese. But after investigations by The Median, it emerged that no such reconciliation was ever initiated by whosoever. The rapport between the two political heavyweights is still tenuous at best and icy at worst.

By MakwensBalemba in Yaounde

NgolleNgwese&NgolleNgolle have always kept

a safe distance in public events

“Reconciliation between two parties who have lived apart for long as enemies can only be done through the good office of a third party or if one of the parties is humble enough to walk up to the other and seek reconciliation. None of these has happened between NgolleNgolle and Ngole Philip. So, the claim that there has been a kind of reconciliation between the two personalities is only a fabrication intended to misinform and intoxicate the public perhaps, for some selfish interest.” This was the response we got from an unimpeachable source close to Minister Ngole Philip when we sought to know from him if the reconciliation story published recently in a local tabloid was true.

                Besides, the source argued that reconciliation is not done in the columns of newspapers but on the negotiating table. “Only a coward or somebody who is not sincere about his intentions to reconcile will go to the newspapers to preach reconciliation, instead of inviting the other party or parties to a negotiating table,” the source concluded, suggesting that Prof. Elvis NgolleNgolle should invite his ‘junior brothers’ to an appropriate forum where they can talk out their differences rather that go to the newspapers to preach reconciliation.

                Unfortunately, The Median learned that Prof. NgolleNgolle has vowed that he can never pick up his telephone to call any of the two ministers from KupeMuanenguba, for whatever purpose.

                Until such a move is initiated by the learned Prof. or any of the two ministers, the rapport between NgolleNgolle and Ngole Philip will only remain tenuous at best and icy at worse.

                It should be mentioned that when we went out to cover the installation of the CPDM delegates by Jean Kuete in Buea recently, we focused our cameras on the two KupeMuanenguba heavyweights because we understood that of all the delegations in the South West it is the KupeMuanenguba delegation that is the most news-making, for reasons that we already evoked in an earlier edition of this newspaper.

                That is why we can affirm here that there was never an embrace between NgolleNgolle and NgoleNgwese in the CNPS hall in Buea, not even for photo purposes.

                The Buea correspondent of the newspaper that published the reconciliation story also confirmed this when we met him on Friday in Buea. He said if ever there was such an embrace he would have made it the headline of the report he filed to the editorial head office in Yaounde after the Buea event.

                “You notice that the reconciliation story was bylined by one of our editors in Yaounde and not by a local reporter. This is to tell you that the facts of the story came from Yaounde and not from Buea,” the correspondent said, insinuating that the story was cooked up in Yaounde.

                It should be mentioned that even before NgolleNgolle and Ngole Philip travelled to Buea to be installed as president and member respectively of the KupeMuanenguba divisional delegation, they had attended a preparatory meeting at the Yaounde residence of the President of the South West permanent regional delegation, Senator Peter MafanyMusonge. During that meeting the two personalities never greeted each other or sat close to each other, we can confirm.

                Because the protagonists could not talk with one another, KupeMuanenguba had to raise the fcfa 1.250.000 levied for each of the six divisions as contribution for the Buea event in dispersed ranks. The Median gathered that the two ministers jointly contributed fcfa 700.000. They also undertook to bankroll the transportation of the local party officials from Bangem, Tombel and Nguti, to Buea. We could not however ascertain how the remaining fcfa 550.000 was raised.

                It is however understood that of the three frontline protagonists in KupeMuanenguba politics namely Ngole Philip, Elung Paul and NgolleNgolle, two (Ngole Philip and Elung Paul) are working in harmony and as a team. It should behoove Prof. NgolleNgolle as head of the KupeMuanenguba divisional delegation therefore, to see how he can join this wonderful duo so that together they can continue to animate the renewed vibrancy that KupeMuanenguba CPDM has witnessed in recent years. 

                So, much as we of this newspaper are hoping to see a détente some day in the very strained relations between NgolleNgolle and his rival brothers of KupeMuanenguba, we can at once confirm that for now there has been no rapprochement between and among them.

                For his part, the youngest of the three, Elung Paul, has made it clear that he has no problem with any of his two elder brothers, and he is very ready to work with both of them so that together they can lobby and bring much-needed development to KupeMuanenguba.

                “What should preoccupy us is the development of our division and not who is what and where,” H.E. Elung Paul said at his home-coming in Tombel, in February this year.