Playing Lazarus:

Ni John Fru Ndi, the once revered and feared SDF National Chairman, now a political spent force?

Politically Finished, Fru Ndi Barks But Cannot Bite, As Separatists Attack SDF Supporters
At a time when many would expect the Chairman of the opposition Social Democratic Front, SDF party, to stay back and take on his marathon fight for political change in Cameroon, Ni John Fru Ndi has opted to leave the country for the USA for a private visit whose length was yet undetermined.
    Even though Fru Ndi explained that he was going out for routine medical checks following his double abductions by separatists fighters last year, political watchers opine that the SDF chieftain should have stayed back and put his party in order, and also encourage and galvanize his militants, especially at this troubled times when the party is evidently weakened and shaken by serial defections of its militants and elections flag-bearers.
    Even though Fru Ndi accused President Paul Biya’s CPDM of having a hidden hand in the attacks visited on SDF militants and elections candidates by separatist fighters, he failed to take strong action to stop the Etoudi Palace tenant and his agents from further destroying the SDF that is if truly the CPDM has a hand in the attacks. Political watchers say the once fear-inspiring Fru Ndi has now become politically diminished and devastated that he can now only bark but cannot bite.
    Commentators wasted no time to note that by only crying out that Mr Biya and his CPDM are out to annihilate the SDF, Fru Ndi only lends credence to remarks by critics who miss no opportunity to shout on mountain tops that the SDF Chairman has abandoned the fight for democratic change in Cameroon.  They say that Fru Ndi has abandoned the multitudes of Cameroonians who looked up to him for change in Cameroon.
    Though it is understood that Fru Ndi was twice kidnapped and taken into the bushes by armed men said to be Ambazonia fighters, observers question why the SDF Chairman should embark on a long trip abroad only at this time when his party should be putting its act together to give Biya’s CPDM a good run for their money and arrogance.
    Kidnapped on Friday, 28 June 2019 at about 3:30pm, the once dreaded and revered Fru Ndi only regained his freedom at 9:30pm on Saturday, 29 June 2019.
    In an interview he granted the press before boarding the plane to the USA, Fru Ndi said separatists are missing the target by attacking the SDF.
     “Instead of targeting Mr Biya’s CPDM regime that has reduced Anglophones to near nothing in this country they are attacking the SDF,” Fru Ndi regretted.

    Hear him: “The SDF is not only being targeted now because if you know the history of election rigging, brutalization in the field, especially in the Francophone areas, you will remember that the SDF has since its creation suffered a lot of intimidation and attacks with our militants being beaten and killed such as what recently happened in the North.
    “The people who gave in to democracy in this country never really thought what they said. When we formed the SDF, we drew up a constitution for the party; a program to chart the way forward for the country. We agreed that we are going to change the country only through the ballot box. Now, the Anglophones of whom I am one have been marginalized, taken for granted and misused, abused and insulted in this country.”
    “But we still believe that even if you spit on my face, I will clean the spit and go where I am going because I have something in mind which I want to achieve. But when the other people came up and said they want to change the government through secession but not through the ballot box, I told myself that if support their cause, it will lead to a lot of bloodshed....That is why I did not opt for the gun, not even in 19992 when i won the presidential election and my victory was confiscated by Mr. Biya. In that election, the army voted overwhelmingly for the SDF. When they results were proclaimed in favour of Mr Biya, the army wanted to take up arms to defend my victory but again I refused. I thought that with time we were going to resolve things through the ballot box.
    It remains to be known how Fru Ndi’s SDF will participate in the 9 February twin elections given the serial defections by its aspirants and the attacks on its militants and their property.