As the deadline for the submission of lists by political parties to Elections Cameroon, ELECAM, and the Constitutional Council narrows, there is heightened anxiety among aspirants.
While opposition parties are fighting against apathy among their members who see the election results as a fait accompli with the CPDM sure to grab the most votes in all the ten regions, most of their members are financially handicapped. The deposit of FCFA One million to be paid by a candidate and alternate is not within the means of many opposition candidates.
To overcome this hurdle in the SDF, the national chairman, Ni John Fru Ndi, has asked mayors to step in and pay the deposit for those who cannot make it.
The CPDM on the other hand has no shortage of candidates and resources. The hierarchy of the party is grappling with a plethora of lists in virtually all the regions leading many to fear an impending implosion.

                                    Manoeuvres
As expected, the wheeling and dealing and trade-offs are already in full gear and much of the noise is being generated within CPDM circles. In the South West for example, The SUN learnt that at the level of Buea, Senator Matute’s name was expunged from the list of incumbents and replaced with Engineer Fonderson of Tiko, a new comer into the political ring. However, this may not be the end yet of the one with many political lives especially as the central committee will take the final decision.
Thus apart from Senator Matute, there is every likelihood that the rest of the incumbents will sail through despite the frantic fight put up by the mayor of Buea and his sponsored list to knock-off Senator Mbella Moki.
The SDF list in the South West is complete and shall be confirmed on Monday, February 19 during a press briefing by the regional chairman, Mayor Martin Ndobegang. Venerated Professor of Law, Ndiva Kofele Kale shall head the list that comprises Lillian Nnoko from Kupe Muanengouba, Deputy Mayor Lenya of Kumba II representing Meme, Valentine Nganda from Ndian, Barrister Ebai Agbor from Manyu and Nkemlemo Denis from Lebialem.
 

                Uncertainty hangs over NW
Talking with some CPDM big wigs who converged at Ayaba Hotel in Bamenda last Friday February 16 to submit their respective lists to the CPDM permanent Central Committee head to the North West Region, His Excellency Philemon Yang, they expressed uncertainty but also hoped that the CPDM Central committee will select the best candidates to represent the party at the elections.
It is worth noting that the CPDM central committee has to sit and deliberate on the various names proposed at various levels and endorse those they think can best represent the interest of the party.
It is for this reason that many of the CPDM senatorial aspirants in the North West region have been reluctant to make any public statements since they are not yet sure who the Central Committee will select.
Some militants of the CPDM who spoke to The SUN opted for anonymity and said though they are very loyal to the party, they honestly think that the decisions of the Central Committee may not always be a true representation of what the people at the grassroots actually want.

A CPDM militant told The SUN that the Central Committee seems to favour some candidates based on aspects best known to the committee and the choices are sometimes at variance with what the people want.
While CPDM aspirants are still waiting on Yaounde to decide their fate, SDF aspirants are looking forward to the Electoral College that is yet to be convened by Elections Cameroon ELECAM.
Talking to Vanigansen Mochiggle, one of the senatorial aspirants for Mezam Division under the SDF mandate, he expressed dissatisfaction on how the system is run. He pointed out that the SDF party has always stood for complete democracy and that it is unfortunate that they have been drawn into such a system. He remained hopeful that SDF will continue to fight the government until they are someday able to democratically bring it down.
He also revealed that anyone in the SDF is fit to stand as senatorial candidate. His regret however, is the fact that senators will be elected by councilors whose mandate in office is to end in about five months.
“It is clear that most of these councillors will be flushed out of office during municipal elections”, Mochiggle said, while questioning why councillors who may have performed very poorly in office and may soon be kicked out can be given the destiny of the people by allowing them choose peoples’ representatives.
He said under transparent and very democratic circumstances, municipal elections should come up first and not senatorial.
It is worth noting that after the municipal elections in 2013, CPDM had 544 municipal councillors in the North West while SDF had 522, a difference of 22 in favour of the CPDM. The numbers do not stand the same today as a couple of them have died within the past five years.

Where will the CPDM concede?
Many have been asking the raison d’etre of the SDF decision going in for an election which they know the CPDM has all the chances of winning the 70 seats since they have majority of councillors in all the regions.
In a reaction to The SUN, Senator Tsomelu Jean and SDF secretary general noted that the party convention had taken the resolution that the party should never boycott any election. On their chances of winning, he said they are confident taking into consideration the performance of SDF Senators.
It is in this same light that the South West SDF regional chairman responded to The SUN. He said throughout the Anglophone crisis only SDF MPs have voiced their concern while the CPDM Senators from the South West and North West have remained dumb. “Though it is an indirect election, we believe the councillors will listen to the voices of the population”, dixit Mayor Ndobegang.
Notwithstanding, many are of the opinion that the CPDM party especially President Biya will have to deliberately decide to concede some regions to the opposition and especially the SDF for they to have any chance of grabbing any senatorial seats. It should be noted that the president has the prerogative of appointing 30 senators to correct any imbalances and satisfy political friends and cronies.
In 2013 the CPDM conceded the West and Adamawa regions to the SDF. In return the West was compensated with the post of Senate president to the detriment of the South West. Of recent, there are strong hints that the position of Speaker of the House may go to the South West with Hon. Emilia Monjoa Lifaka in pole position. Will Biya then concede the South West Senate seats to the SDF? It is a burning question.
Though the CPDM has a slight advantage in the North West, the race is tougher this time with the Anglophone crisis where it seems the population has completed vomited political leaders in the two English-speaking regions.
This is one more time for President Biya to show his deftness and try ro give the Senate elections a taint of credibility and legitimacy by avoiding a one party Senate.

                                 Deadline
According to section 164 of the electoral code, all political parties vying for the March 25 Senate Elections are expected to submit their files on Thursday, February 22 at the latest.
The law says: “”Candidatures shall, within 15 (fifteen) days from the convening of the electorate, be made out in nomination paper in triplicate, bearing the legalised signature of candidates”.
Copies of the candidature files must also be submitted to the Constitutional Council by the candidate or his representative, against an acknowledgement of receipt.
The CPDM and the SDF have since been gripped by the internal fever of positioning candidates for this election.
The CPDM is heading for an implosion with several lists emerging. The central committee of the party is expected to reconcile and submit the lists to the appropriate quarters within the prescribed deadline.

               ELECAM updates voter lists
Elections Cameroon has updated the electoral list and shared the number of voters per polling station.
In respect of Section 224 (1) of the Electoral Code which provides that, “ On publication of the decree convening the electoral college, the list of senatorial electors shall be updated,” the election governing body, Elections Cameroon (ELECAM) has been leaving no stone unturned.
Statistics at the headquarters of ELECAM indicate that electoral list for the March 25, 2018 senatorial election has been updated considering that only municipal councilors are the electors.
The information indicates that initially 10, 622 electors were expected to cast their votes but after updating of the list, 9,666 voters will effectively cast their votes.
The updating of the list which initially contain the councillors who were voted during the 2013 municipal election consist of showing additions and deletions resulting notably from death, loss of voting rights, various cases of ineligibility and disqualification for membership as provided by law.
The official publication of the updated list will be done in the days ahead in conformity with Section 224 (3) of the Electoral Code which states that, “the updated list of senatorial electors shall be published at least 30 days before the voting date.”
Elections Cameroon has also shared out the number of electors per polling station and come up with 81 polling stations for the March 25, 2018 senatorial election. Section 227 (1) of the Electoral Code provides that, “Voting shall be conducted in the headquarters of each division.”
The Centre Region has the highest number of effective electors 1,865 with 15 polling stations being equally the highest number. The Adamawa Region has the least number of electors totally 573.
Reports from the Centre Regional Delegation of Elections Cameroon indicate anthill activities to prepare for the hitch-free election. Reliable sources at the Communication unit state that as the updated list is being fine-tuned, registration cards are also being produced.
This is another important aspect of the election which has to be taken seriously now to meet the deadline. Talking specifically about the cards, Section 226 (1) of the Electoral Code provides that, “Registration cards shall be distributed by the divisional branches of Elections Cameroon, within the 20 days preceding the elections.”

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“ELECAM is one of the targets of the current crisis rocking the North West and South West regions because people don’t believe we are credible and I am not prepared to lose my life because of a corrupt ELECAM officer, We have to convince the people that we are credible and transparent.
“Fraudsters will be sanctioned; it will not be business as usual. It is not the public that will expose you to us, we will expose you to the public”, Tambe Tiku warned while adding that ELECAM officers have no business fraternising with politicians. He furthered that if ELECAM should be threatened by the public, it should be while doing the right thing.
Tambe Tiku was corroborated by his colleague, Former Governor Thomas Ejake Mbonga who also warned Elecam staff and representatives of political parties present of the imminence of the 2018 elections. Ejake Mbonda told political parties’ representatives that: “2018 is tomorrow! Political parties should acquaint themselves with the provisions of the Electoral Code; they are partners in this process and should not only come afterwards to complain.”
Earlier, the Divisional Branch Head of ELECAM, Nangoh Stephen revealed that since the electoral register was opened on January 3 this year, only 804 voters have been registered in Fako; a dismal figure compared to about 5000 voters registered same time last year.
Nangoh Stephen blamed the sharp decline in voters’ registration on a flurry of factors; lukewarm attitude by some of the stakeholders, including political parties, insecurity in the English speaking parts of the country which has exposed the staff to numerous threats, limited finances to penetrate enclaved or distant areas, breakdown of electoral kits amongst others.
Some of the representatives of political parties present expressed worries over the complicity between some ELECAM officers and politicians of the ruling CPDM party. Ndoke Philip, SDF district chair for Muyuka narrated an instance where an ELECAM officer in Muyuka solicited the services of the Muyuka council by asking for a vehicle to use for ELECAM activities. This was hugely frowned at by the ELECAM board members who warned ELECAM staff to stop fraternising with politicians and elected officials irrespective of the party.
Christopher Tambe Tiku called on political parties to be more involved in the selection of Electoral Commission presidents during elections and make sure to select credible people to represent them at polling stations. He advised them to also take care of their polling agents because some of them have reportedly sold their votes for a few francs during previous elections.
At the end of the annual revision meeting, it was agreed that there is need for mass mobilisation of the electorate and that stakeholders should not wait till when the elections are at hand to get registered. Security forces were also enjoined to ensure the safety of ELECAM staff and property.
Speaking to The SUN after the meeting, Christopher Tambe Tiku revealed that the meeting was aimed at evaluating the mistakes of the past so as to lay a sturdy platform for the future. He stressed that it was necessary to expose some of the irregularities of the past so that stakeholders understand that the mindset of ELECAM in 2017 is not the same as was during the 2013 elections.
Reacting to the low voters’ registration Tambe Tiku said given the prevailing peculiar circumstances in the North West and South West regions, ELECAM staff should be commended for ensuring that 804 voters were registered during this period.
“We all know the volatile nature in which these two regions found themselves and it was very difficult to talk about elections; in the North West region for example, an ELECAM vehicle was burnt down and in some areas our staffs have been threatened. It is quite a disturbing situation and for the Fako divisional head to have succeeded to get the numbers he did, it shows that the ELECAM staff have not been sleeping despite the odds.”

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The brunt of the responsibility to ensure that the upcoming polls are credible lies hugely on the shoulders of the election monitoring body, Elections Cameroon, ELECAM. The challenge that faces ELECAM is however not limited to election management and monitoring but to the body’s composition and set up.
A tainted composition
Many observers have decried the composition of Elections Cameroon board, whose members are appointed by the incumbent president and are mostly scooped from the ruling CPDM party.
According to Christopher Tambe Tiku, Elecam Board Member and human rights activist, “It is impossible to be independent as an ELECAM board member after being a member of the CPDM; the appointment of members is supposed to be done after consultations with the Electoral Board, but this wasn’t done. If the board was consulted, none of these members would have been selected.”
“It is impossible to have served the CPDM at the highest level and then say you are independent”, Tambe Tiku adds, “even the recruitment of staff was done on the merits of political godfatherism.”
According to John Mukum Mbaku of the Africa Growth Initiative, “In order for an electoral management body to operate efficiently and effectively, it must be staffed with individuals who are competent and have skills to manage elections in a fair and credible manner,”
At the very least, Mr. Mbaku notes, a credible electoral management body should be granted five things: decisional independence to decide freely, institutional independence to perform its functions without undue interference from the government, adequate resources, a system of accountability, and a procedure civil society can use to file complaints against members of the electoral body for illegal or unethical conduct.
He furthered that there should be an impartial disciplinary system that allows for a range of sanctions against wrongdoing and abuses by electoral commissioners and staff members, including removing from office.
The Electoral code however hands partial immunity from prosecution for members of Election Cameroon. In its Article 6(1), the Code states “Members of Elections Cameroon may not be prosecuted, investigated, arrested, detained or tried for their views expressed in the performance of their duties..(2) Save in cases of flagrante delicto, members of Elections Cameroon may not be prosecuted during their tenure in office.”
A waning trust in the electoral process
Despite efforts by the election governing body towards raising awareness of Cameroonians on their civic responsibility, particularly the need to not only get enrolled in the electoral registers, but to participate actively in the voting process, the body has failed to break the threshold of getting at least 12 million of the over 23 million Cameroonians registered.
This has been blamed hugely, by political pundits, on the growing distrust in the election process and the increasing voter apathy that seems to have gripped many Cameroonians. Many of them doubt the independence of a body that seems to be cloaked in the fabric of the ruling CPDM party since a good majority of its members were either bigwigs of the party or former state administrators.
Jean De Dieu Momo, National President of the opposition party, PADEC puts the blame of the waning confidence in the electoral process squarely at the doorsteps of ELECAM. He says despite its financial might and man power, the body failed to express the political will to get 12 million Cameroonians registered adding that as at now only about 6500 Cameroonians have enrolled on the electoral registers. Momo also expressed reservations with the composition and functioning of the election body.
Elecam Board Member, Tambe Tiku also expressed concerns of voter apathy during a talk with journalist in Limbe at a workshop organized by the United Nations Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa where he said “voter apathy is a real concern for us as even some of those we have managed to get registered abandon their voters’ cards at Elecam centres.”
Electoral calendar haze
Another huge concern for Elecam and the general public is the uncertainty of the electoral calendar. Some politicians have even stoked fears that the government is planning to postpone the 2018 elections. During a press conference he granted on April 10, 2017, the National President of the Movement for the Renaissance of Cameroon, MRC, Prof. Maurice Kamto accused the government of plotting to use the war against Boko Haram in the North and the current Anglophone crisis as reasons to push the 2018 elections thereby extending their stay in power.
The haze over the electoral calendar has also planted seeds of doubts and indifference in the minds of an electorate that is already on the jittery on the relevance and impact of an election.
Tambe Tiku assured that “The electoral calendar is purely at the discretion of the president of the republic but there is a limit to his discretion.”
The right to know
But according to the National Democratic Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization that works with governments worldwide to strengthen and expand democracy, “The electorate ought to be adequately informed of voter rights and obligations, date and procedures of the elections, political party or candidate positions available, and above all, the importance of citizens participation in the exercise.”
This, according to them is very important because elections and political transitions have been amongst the threats to peace and security in Africa in the last 20 years.
According to the African Union, incidents on the actual voting day can trigger political violence, conflict and sometimes, full-blown war.
Election governing bodies are therefore carrying the huge burden and responsibility of ensuring that elections do not only serve as a mechanism for electing or replacing leaders, it should also be viewed as a tool for conflict prevention.
The case of neighboring Nigeria comes to mind when during the recent hotly contested presidential election pitting then incumbent, President Goodluck Jonathan of the ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP against Muhammadou Buhari of the All Progressives Congress, CPC The Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC headed by the its indefatigable chairman, Attahiru Jega managed to curtail violence by organizing what many have now described as a free and fair election.

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