-Observers said for the staunch militant and grassroots mobilizer that Ekema was for the CPDM in Fako, it is intriguing that no organized appearance of party militants was witnessed throughout his funeral. The absence of his two wives at the funeral also provided mourners with a good theme for discussion and debate.
By Ndeli Albert Moliki in Buea
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| CPDM militants were hard to find at any instance of Ekema’s funeral |
Observers were quick to note that for a man whose militancy in the ruling CPDM party could not be questioned, and whose mobilization prowess was almost always relied on for the stampeding presence of party militants during major national events like the Reunification (National) Day on 20th May and Youth Day on 11th February, it was intriguing that no organized presence of party militants was seen all throughout the two days of Mayor Ekema’s funeral.
Commentators said their surprise was the more because the National President of the CPDM, who doubles as President of the Republic, Paul Biya, was understood to take exceptional interest in Ekema’s funeral and even granted an official funeral for him.
Fako chiefs for instance expressed unreserved disappointment that a brave fighter for the CPDM should die and be buried without party militans attending in uniform.
“If for a ceremony like this we cannot see even one CPDM militant in uniform, then what would be the scenario when less important militants die... If Mayor Ekema cannot be celebrated by the party then what will happen to some of us? It is a shame, and we cannot hide our disappointment and annoyance with the CPDM hierarchy,” said the president of Fako Chiefs Conference, Chief Ndike Kombe
But the question that was on every lip during and after the funeral was why the conspicuous boycott of Mayor Ekema’s funeral by CPDM militants?
When The Median went finding out, it emerged that the CPDM party hierarchy in Yaounde had actually instructed the local leaders of the party in Fako to mobilize the militants to come out in their numbers to grace the funeral. But evidently, the instruction from Biya and Jean Kuete was ignored by the Fako CPDM bigwigs, a few of whom reluctantly attended the funeral, though not under the banner of the CPDM.
The Median was reliably informed that Many Fako CPDM kingpins opted to stay out of both the organization and the staging of Ekema’s funeral. They evoked the sour relationship they had with Mayor Ekema when he was alive.
“In Bakweri culture it is not advisable to attend the funeral of somebody who considered you his enemy whilst he was alive. I could not be oblivious of this advice from our ancestors,” said a Fako CPDM kingpin, who preferred to stay unknown in this report.
It can therefore be understood why the Fako CPDM leader, Hon. Emilia Monjowa Lifaka, and the Senator for Buea, Hon Charles Mbella Moki, and several other Fako CPDM bigwigs did not mark their presence at Ekema’s funeral. It is because of the frosty rapport that the had with Ekema.
“Even if they were occupied with Parliamentary work as they claimed, they should have at least made it to Buea on Saturday for the funeral and then rush back to Yaounde. What I know is that they feared coming because tradition makes it unsafe to attend your enemy’s funeral,” opined a Fako CPDM militant who opted to stay anonymous.
The Median learned that after when she informed the CPDM SG that she would not attend the funeral, Hon. Lifaka was asked to get somebody to represent the party at the funeral. That was how Ngundu Francis and the CDC GM, Franklin Ngoni Njie were designated to represent the party..
Another source revealed to us that the Buea CPDM section president, Mafany Namange, tried to mobilize militants for the funeral, but he was instead asked by militants to go to the Mutengene Police College and the Waders Training School at Lower Farms and get the fake militants that Mayor Ekema used to hire to crowd the CPDM ranks during the march past on 20th May and 11 February.
With the boycott of CPDM militants, one can easily understand why the condolence message from the Secretary of the CPDM Central Committee, Jean Kuete, was never read at the funeral. The Median was told that the SW Governor, observing the total boycott by militants of Biya’s party, instructed that Jean Kuete’s condolence message be kept aside.
Another highlight at Mayor Ekema’s funeral was the conspicuous absence of his two wives – the one in America and the other in whose house in Douala the Mayor slumped and died later in hospital.
Many reasons were advanced as to why the two ladies could not be present at the funeral. But we prefer not to mention them here for obvious reasons.
It should however, be mentioned that the absence of Ekema’s wives at his funeral was a subject for massive discussion and debate during the funeral on Saturday.
Perhaps, it should also be mentioned that the corpse removal at the Buea mortuary, the procession to his residence in Molyko and the all-night vigil earlier on Friday, did not witness the huge crowds that was otherwise expected.
We were told that by 8pm on Friday, the Buea council chambers where Ekema’s corpse was laid for the all night wake keep, was completely deserted. This forced the Governor to order that the corpse be returned to the mortuary and to be brought out only on Saturday Morning.
These said, one point remains true, and it is this that if the people of Buea did not give Ekema the honour befitting for a former mayor, it was not the case for the authorities in Yaounde, especially the head of state, Paul Biya, who made sure Ekema was given a burial worthy for the brave and trusted ally and patriot that he was.
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