By DOH JAMES SONKEY
The Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji has insisted that unlike the October 7, 2018 presidential election, voters defied boycott threats from separatist fighters and boycott calls from the Cameroon Renaissance Movement, CRM to effectively cast their votes in all subdivisions in the security challenged North West and South West regions. Speaking to pressmen last February 12, 2020 in Yaounde, the MINAT boss saluted the population of these two regions for braving all odds to perform their civic responsibility.
In sharp contrast to remarks from the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon and the African Union on the conduct and voter turnout at last February 9 municipal and legislative elections, gov-ernment and Elections Cameroon, ELECAM officials have indicated that turnout at polling stations in the two English-speaking regions was impressive.
The Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, gave statistics which he said, proved a comparatively huge voter turnout in the NorthWest and South West regions. It was said at the outing that in most polling stations in these two regions, vote counting lasted late into the night showing that thousands of people showed up at polling stations to vote. It was also revealed that voter turnout in Mezam and Donga Mantung Divisions in the North West region hit the threshold of 60% inthe same elections.
Minister Atanga Nji said statistics from ELECAM also indicate an inspiring turnout in Menchum Division wherein he added vote counting lasted into the night. “This is because of the number of people who showed up to perform their civic responsibility” stated the MINAT boss.
He went on that “In the South West region, precisely in the Prime Minister’s Ndian Division of ori-gin, voter turnout, government insists, is estimated at over 80%. In the Kupe-Muanenguba Division, voter turnout was ranked at 46%. Fako and Manyu Divisions witnessed a participation rate of 40% at the elections.”
From the statistics, the government concluded that the increasing number of people who showed up at polling stations during the February 9 polls is indicative of the relative peace that isreturning to the two restive regions.
When voting ended on Sunday, the MINAT boss and the Director General of elections at ELECAM, Erik Essousse, in separate media outings, took delight in what they said was the smooth conduct of the elections.
The same personalities then informed national and international opinion that elections took place under acceptable conditions. In the meantime, while some political parties are already celebrating victories at the municipal levels owing to the declaration of results by officials of the various divi-sional vote-counting commissions in compliance with the Electoral Code, all eyes are on the Con-stitutional Council to rule on petitions and proclaim the results of the legislative elections.
Effective, grassroots campaigns paved the way
Observers have linked the figures on which government is brandishing to the public on the various campaigns which political party officials, especially of the CPDM, conducted in areas that have
before the elections been known as no-go-zones. CPDM caravans for the first time in three years were seen on campaigns in the interiors of Kupe-Muanenguba, Manyu, Ndian, Meme and Fako Divisions in the South West region. The same atmosphere of a defiant campaign urging people to respond to the political process was seen at another level in Donga Mantung Division of the North West region. This no doubt, pundits say, puts the division with the highest voter turnout rate across the country.
Campaign teams were seen in other divisions such as Momo, Bui, Ngokentunjia, Boyo, Mezam and Menchum divisions. Opposition parties such as the Social Democratic Front, SDF, was especially active on the field in Fako division campaigning. The National Union for Democracy and
Progress, UNDP, of Bello Bouba Maigari was also seen in active politicking in parts of Fako Divi-sion and Donga Mantung. Dr. Benz Enow Bate’s CDP party also campaigned effectively across Manyu especially in Akwaya subdivision. He too campaigned in Lebialem Division.
These political actions are believed to be what caused an increasing number of people to defy threats to perform their civic duty compared to 2018 when presidential candidates stayed away from the two regions.
Peace Caravan had seen it coming
It should be recalled that in December 2019, leaders of the post-dialogue peace caravans to the North West and South West regions, the then Bishop of Mamfe, Andrew Nkea Fuanya and Cardinal Tumi assessed the security situation of the two regions as having witnessed an improvement. Tumi and Nkea made their observation after they presented their report to the Prime Minister, Head of Government, Chief Dr. Joseph Dion Ngute at the end of their tourism of the two troubled regions.