Senatorial in SW:

Musonge Plays Clean as ‘Small Boys’ Go Dirty

- Buea Council sponsors parallel candidate with a view to denting incumbent Mbella Moki’s chances?

- Lion-hearted Motomby Mbome heads list of outsiders, as super favorites rally behind party heavy-weight Nfor Tabetando

By Ojong Steven Ayukogem in Yaounde with reporting from Buea

Mafany Musonge played safe, as CPDM militants were busy knocking their heads

The head of the permanent CPDM Central Committee Delegation to the SW, Peter Mafany Musonge, and members of the permanent delegation, remained calm and neutral throughout the investitures at regional level, allowing militants of the party in the region to enjoy their civic right, which gives them the latitude to aspire to any political office in the country.

            Musonge and his delegation spent the better part of last week in Buea brainstorming, and receiving and scrutinizing individual files and lists of aspirants for the upcoming senatorial elections billed for 25 March 2018. The senatorial elections were announced by a presidential decree on 7 February.

            It emerged from the very laborious but at times light-hearted working sessions that two lists were retained for onward transmission to the central committee, that will do one of two things: either select one of the lists at last and final instance or shuffle the two lists and pick out the best candidates from both lists to form a single winning list for the party.

            The two lists retained were headed respectively by incumbent Chief Whip of the CPDM Group of Senators, Barrister-cum-business magnate, Nfor Tabetando George Ndiep-Nso, and the First Assistant Mayor of the CPDM-run Buea Council, Motomby Emmanuel Mbome, who doubles as president of the Cameroon Athletics Federation.

            A third list headed by another son of Fako, Rev. Dr. Molindo Ekoka, was disqualified on grounds that it did not meet the conditions for eligibility of candidates for senatorial elections as stipulated in law No 2012/001 of 19th April 2012 relating to the electoral code. We learned that Rev. Molindo put in his candidature as an independent candidate, even though the law does not allow for independent senators.

            What was however intriguing in the investitures in the SW was the surprise emergence of a list headed by a councilor (deputy mayor) of the Buea council. It is understood that the Buea council is supposed to be the electoral fief of the incumbent senator Mbella Moki Charles, who himself is a former mayor of that council.

            Informed observers said the constitution of a list by Mayor Motomby Mbome is well calculated; it is with the aim to dent the confidence and chances of Mbella Moki going back to the senate.

            It should be understood that, unlike in the 2013 senatorial elections when the CPDM had a sweeping majority of councilors in the SW, the 2018 senatorial will be hotly contested between the CPDM and the opposition SDF. This is because the SDF now controls four councils in the SW (Tiko, Kumba I, Kumba II and Kumba III), and shares councilors in several other councils in the region (Mbonge, Konye etc).

            With the understanding therefore that the Buea councilors may not vote the CPDM list that is if Mbella Moki and not Motomby, is invested by the Central Committee, (recall that in 2013 CPDM lost many votes in Buea) it becomes not too likely for Paul Biya’s party to score the kind of majority that will permit her to appropriate all the seven seats for the SW.

            And in the event of the CPDM and SDF having to share the seven senatorial seats for the region, chances are that Mbella Moki may be one of those to lose his seat to an SDF candidate. But all of these are mere conjecture and speculation, understanding that in politics anything is possible, and political Foxes like Mbella can always pull out a trump card in the last minute.

            Another intriguing outcome of the Buea investitures is the dropping of Senator Matute from the list of incumbents headed by Nfor Tabetando and his replacement with Papy Fonderson from Limbe. Some sources say this was done to ensure equilibrium between Limbe and Buea (Matute is said to be a son of Buea who only settled in Limbe, and his presence in the senate gave Buea to three senators – Musonge, Mbella Moki, Matute and none for Limbe).

            Other sources hold that Matute was sacrificed because he has never openly supported Musonge and Lifaka in their battles with the Mayor of Buea, Patrick Ekema, who has continued giving sleepless nights to the two Fako CPDM heavy-weights ever since they frustrated his ambition of becoming the section president of Buea CPDM.

            It is also believed in some quarters that the list headed by Motomby was allowed to pass because Musonge and Lifaka, though co-existing with Mbella Moki, are not really enthusiastic about Mbella’s continues stay in decision-making spheres of Fako politics this, because of Mbella’s independent and self-confident disposition which at times really embarrasses them. It will not be surprising therefore that by the time the final list emerges from the Central Committee Mbella’s name might have disappeared, while Motomby’s name surfaces.

            However, some political bookmakers have wasted no time to dismiss most of the members of Motomby’s list as disgruntled outsiders and political lightweights who are not likely to be invested by the Central Committee. They predict that the list headed by Nfor Tabetando will surely go through because it is said to enjoy Musonge’s blessing and by extrapolation the blessings of the Central Committee. Needless to mention that Nfor Tabetando is a member of the CPDM central Committee apart from being Musonge’s Vice in the SW Permanent Delegation.

            It should be noted that Nfor Tabetando’s list comprises of mostly incumbent senators and two new-comers – Fon Lekunze who replaces Fon Fontem Njifua Lucas (RIP) and Papy Fonderson who replaces Hon. Matute (dropped).

            In his characteristic wise, gentlemanly and politically correct disposition, Musonge has already cautioned the aspirants of both CPDM lists to be ready to exercise fair-play and to abide by the final verdict of the Central Committee.  

            But whatever the outcome would be, one conclusion can be drawn from the SW regional investitures and this is that there exist belligerent factions in Fako CPDM, and this does not speak well of the all-powerful SW CPDM torch-bearer, the Rt. Hon. Peter Mafany Musonge, and perhaps other Fako CPDM apparatchiks.

            Political watchers say even as the CPDM may be sure of victory in the senatorial election despite the infighting in Fako and after losing councilors in Meme and other parts of the SW, it may not be very evident she will have an easy run in other elections notably the presidential and council elections that are also billed for later this year.

            List 1: Tabetando (Manyu), Otte Andrew (Meme), Mbella Moki (Fako), Ntube Ndode (K. Muanenguba), Fon Lekunze (Lebialem), Anki Rebecca (Ndian), Papy Fonderson (Fako)

            List 2: Motomby (Fako), Ekundi Rey (Fako), Mrs Ntuba (Meme), WCPDM President Tombel (K. Muanenguba), Dr. Edjoa (Manyu), Nkemngu Martin (Lebialem)