Divided we fall:

Manyu union in Kumba tearing apart

By Johnson Batuo in Kumba

Less than two months after over 500 men and women of Manyu extraction under the canopy of the Manyu Elements Cultural Association MECA Kumba branch, gathered in Kumba, Meme Division to rebuild their past, forge a better future and put in place a new executive, disgruntled factions have surfaced challenging the gathering and rejecting the elected bureau led by Hon AgborNduku John Eret from Eyumojock sub-division as president.

                The other exco members include Bawak Martin, Barrister Andy Tabi and Lawson BakiaTabot from Mamfe central, Akwaya and Upper Bayang subdivisions respectively as vice presidents. The positions of treasurer, financial secretary, secretary general, organizing secretary, social secretary, women affairs and cultural affairs were evenly distributed among the four subdivisions that make up Manyu division. Meanwhile Mbu Johnson Batuo of Calvary Goodnews radio, Prince ObenAgbor of ocean city radio kumba and Ashu Manfred of the star Newspaper were chosen as communication secretaries.

                Challenging the legality of the elected bureau on multiple fronts, the disgruntled group noted with anger that the said bureau is a ‘kangoroo executive founded on no legitimate grounds’.

                Buttressing their point, the disgruntled critics complained that the assembly that put the new executive bureau in place did not have a quorum. Besides, no roll call was conducted to establish the exact number of participants especially given the known numeric strength of Manyu elements in Kumba and its environs. They said those who participated cannot be said to have represented the aspirations of the wider majority of Manyu elements in Kumba.

                “Though people were elected into offices based on their sub-divisions of origin, the assembly never had equitable representation from all the sub-divisions. Consequently, view points were never balanced and minority voices were buried in the noise,” noted one of the critics who opted to stay anonymous.

                Another critic simply questioned why politicians had to be given room to talk in the meeting.

                “The coming of politicians into the gathering was surely meant to add weight to the assembly’s colouring but unfortunately, their utterances only spelt bad news because it drowned the key element of unity in self-aggrandizement and political-big-talk.” 

                Assembling the aforementioned irregularities and other unpleasant situations that were evidenced during the said general assembly, the disgruntled Manyu elements have refused to recognize the newly elected bureau describing it as ‘a pseudo-representation’ of the Manyu people in the city of Kumba.

                They are therefore calling for the convening of a new elective general assembly that will give MECA Kumba a more broad-based and acceptable executive. They have therefore addressed a complaint to the MECA national bureau to intervene and put things in order.