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| Theodore Leke |
Theodore Leke is a founding member of the SCNC and 2nd vice national chairman of the separatist movement. In this interview with The Median, he sheds light on the leadership crisis in the movement; why the organization cannot form a political party as advised by government, the situation of incarcerated SCNC militants and much more. He was interviewed by Sarah Nkongho Ojong, The Medians correspondent in Fako
Good day Sir, lets begin by you formally introducing yourself.
I am Mr. Leke Theodore, 2nd Vice National Chairman of SCNC. I am 67 years old and have been in the SCNC from its inception in 1993 back then when the organization was still under the appellation of AAC 1 and AAC2 and later on transformed to the Southern Cameroon National Council (SCNC) to address issues of annexation affecting this part of the country.
The general public sees the SCNC as a ship with many captains, who is the legitimate chairman of the SCNC?
You are correct. Its unfortunate that after the death of Martin Luma, we came up to replace him through an election which was chaired by myself and it was this same election that led to the election of Chief Ayamba Ette Otun as the national chairman. I even had aspirations for the position but dropped my candidacy along the line for reasons based on my being a CDC employee. The perception of the public of SCNC as a ship with many captains is not actually true because I see it rather too unfortunate for the papers carrying press releases from a man like Nfor Ngalla Nfor giving the impression that he is the national chairman. He is not! The national chairman as at now, Chief Ayamba must and will have to give way and I will have to say it that the reason the public is confused is because many people have kept going to the press claiming chairmanship.
But Nfor Nfor Ngalla argues that he was nominated as the new chairman by the National Council of SCNC. What is your reaction to this?
That is a big lie!!! The SCNC has a constitution which recognizes Chief Ayamba as the national Chairman who is still alive and living. What Nfor Ngalla has done to the SCNC is treasonable as per article 17 of the SCNC constitution. In some papers including The Median No 0108 of Monday February 24, 2014, he tells the world that he was elected national chairman in December 2000 and that he was elected by the national council, he went ahead to say that he was elected by county chairmen and that Ayamba was supposed to come to Bamenda and apologize for failing to attend a meeting organized. And in reaction to this, I am saying it that Nfor Ngalla is guilty of usurpation of powers and he is not the chairman.
Chief Ayamba has not publicly denounced Nfor Nfor Ngalla. His silence could be interpreted as acknowledging Nfor Ngalla as his successor?
That is the big question, but me and my colleagues of the SCNC are on the verge of re-organizing the struggle. Maxwell Oben is in the north and I have been talking to him while in prison, we now more than ever before have to re-organize the SCNC. But i must say that Chief Ayamba’s silence has caused a lot of problems for SCNC, as the people are confused; some people say they are for Ayamba and others say they are for Nfor Ngalla. In fact his silence is dangerous. So we are going to organize and come up with press releases which will be distributed to ask Ayamba to resign within the period of one month. If he refuses to resign, we will put him out of the picture because we want to re-organize the SCNC, it has been grounded for 12 years caused by Nfor Nfor and Ayamba. His silence is dangerous and I will say he is being unkind to the organization because he was supposed to address the issues of his vice who is using the press to usurp his powers. But he is not doing so; he is doing virtually nothing. Even when Mr. Biya came here on February 20, 2014 for the so called reunification, Chief Ayamba made no statement; people were incarcerated prior to Biya’s coming, stil he made no statement. Maxwell is in prison now, still no statement has been made. Same for Nfor Ngalla who is only in the papers claiming chairmanship.
But what could account for Chief Ayamba’s long silence?
Hmmm! (He laughs) The main reason could be his age. But his low level of education and lack of information could also be blamed. All along Nfor Ngalla has been the man doing the work; Chief was just there as a window dressing; he cannot hold press conferences, he can do interviews. But it is not his fault as he did not have the opportunity to further his education. We thought as an old man we could put him there and give him the necessary support he needs to run the struggle and achieve certain things for the organization but that has not been the case as his vice chairman took over from him and for 12 years he is still unable to perform.
The SCNC presently has several factions and several people who go around for its leaders. Why can’t you people constitute yourselves into one strong group?
That again is a lie. The SCNC is not in factions and it will never be in factions. I even have a write up to back that, reasons being that the history of the people is very clear that we voted to form a federation of two former trust territories of the UN, when you talk of factions it will appear as if we have two different goals which is not the case. People are creating these factions to attract Mr. Biya to give them money and have succeeded in getting huge sums of money in hundreds of millions. Our mission and vision is to restore the statehood of southern Cameroons for the past 53 years. In fact, the SCNC has its structures like the local government areas, the countys, and the national exco which is the supreme body of the organization. People have to militate in these structures as was the case in the days of the past chairpersons but today 12 years after, Nfor and Ayamba have destroyed it creating leakages for others to come up with funny structures to extract money in the name of SCNC and confuse the public.
In that case what has been done in consideration to these funny structures as you call them that people come up with in the name of SCNC?
Very little or nothing and that is my cry for these past 12 years. But just like I told you earlier we are going to organize because 12 years of no meetings, no plan of action, no sensitization, no nothing. So myself and other members am not going to disclose their names plus Maxwell though he is now in jail and some other prominent southern Cameroonians within and without are planning total reorganization to help wipe out the confusion that is already in the air.
The government has always asked the SCNC to create a political party; don’t you think this could be the best option for the struggle?
(Laughs heavily) actually am laughing because it is very funny. History tells us that in a liberation movement you don’t become a political party, ANC of Mandela was never a political party. How can we become a political party when we would have to register under the rules and regulations of the person who is annexing you? He will never accept that you do contrary to his own law. So it is impossible for a liberation movement like the SCNC to register under the annexationist regime when we are fighting against them. All we can do is revamp the structures of the SCNC all over the country and push the struggle ahead to free ourselves. “We can never become a political party” he added hardly.
By saying the above, are you by any chance implying that other political parties in the country are under the government?
Of course, they are all obeying their laws, they are registered under their rules and regulations. Any political party registering under Mr. Biya’s government is virtually under his government and like I said no liberation movement in the world can ever register to ask the slave master that can you allow me go, it does not happen anywhere in the world, becoming a political party for us will never work.
What message do you have for the government that until now has not recognized the SCNC as a legal organization?
The government has all our reports yet she is doing nothing. So, the message I will give is that we have decided to find out from the president the reasons for the long delay of 8 years after the completion of the first phase of the country tour we organized to sample the opinions of southern Cameroonians about secession. I want to use this medium to forcefully remind his Excellency Mr. Biya that we are under pressure and receiving attacks left and right and still awaiting the dialogue to resolve the southern Cameroons problem. Besides, there was a time I became very unpopular when I went to Senegal and the Gambia and was accused of having received hundreds of millions to sell over the SCNC. Sometime ago I was summoned to Yaounde by the Minister of Justice and keeper of the seals, Amadou Ali. During our audience he told me that the government is proposing dialogue to resolve the southern Cameroons question, an idea which was bought by me, Albert Mukong and others.
But it was reported that you were actually negotiating with the government, how did the negotiations end?
I was only called up to Yaounde, i was not negotiating with the government. And that was after I had served a 5 year imprisonment for secession in 1999, arrested in 2003 to serve 5years in Nkongsamba where I made 5 months and later on forwarded an appeal with the former president of the Cameroon bar association, barrister Eta Junior my lawyer at that time who fortunately won the appeal. Out of jail and 2 weeks later I had a call that the government wanted to see me through the Minister Amadou Ali for the proposed dialogue I just talked on earlier on. I was not negotiating anything with the government. I was just John the Baptist as I carried the message to Bamenda with Albert Mukong, Thomas Wacham were all there. When I went to Gambia it was to put a petition for stay of hearing pending the dialogue. I had never and will never negotiate with the government besides how can I negotiate with them when am always on the alert, if am a government agent will I be picked on a daily basis and be incarcerated like is the case?
What message for the general public
Nfor Ngalla Nfor has distorted historical facts, he goes to the papers and claim ownership of the SCNC, the public should not have anything to do with Nfor Ngalla and this is the stand of Oben Maxwell too that Ayamba and Nfor Ngalla should not feature in the SCNC since they have done their own destructive parts for 12 years. So the public should have faith in the new re-organization of SCNC to come up looking at all the structures of the organization. We have put in place a 10 year plan to get out of this slavery and I am using the word warn to those ministers of Mr. Biya’s government such as Ngolle Ngolle, John Ngute, Philemon Yang and the rest who are saying the country is one and “indivisible”, that they be very careful as agents of slavery because at one stage in a revolution, the revolution starts to eat its own children. “Which country is indivisible”, I thank Mola Njoh Litumbe who during the reunification colloquium on February 17, 2014 cleared the air as to the non existence of a union treaty binding the two former trust territories and no time bar so we can still go back to the UN as Foncha did in 1995 because we cannot continue to be slaves.
What about Maxwell Oben’s Case?
Maxwell Oben is an SCNC activist and leader for more than 15 years; he was arrested on February 2, 2014 on his way to Yaounde on charges of holding illegal meetings, destabilization of the country and provoking a civil war. How can one man hold a meeting? He was taken to the Kodengui prison where the authorities referred his case to the area where he was arrested, that brought him to the Buea prisons. But shockingly and inexplicably, he was taken and imprisoned in a military tribunal where he is being remanded for one year renewable, meaning he has been condemned already without trial. His case has come up four times and I was reliably informed by him from the prisons that he is going to be tried in court on Tuesday, June 3, 2014. The appeal court has asked for the proceedings that led to his incarceration and there is nothing, we have a total of 9 lawyers involved in Maxwell’s case free of charge out of their own benevolence. 7 other SCNC members are facing trial in the Muyuka high court and we have people like Nfor Nfor claiming to be leaders but who cannot do anything.
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