By NOELA EBOB BISONG
As the countdown to February 9 narrows, some militants of the Social Democratic Front SDF party continue to weigh the party’s chances in the twin duel, especially in its hub, the North West and South West regions of Cameroon. Plagued by a senseless war for over three years now, with heinous effects on the masses, the SDF has been one party, too disadvantaged by the crisis.
In the face of this reality, firebrand SDF kingpin, Senator Barrister Kemende Henry Gamsey, senator of the North West constituency (Balikumbat) has said only by a miracle will election hold in the restive North West and South West regions of Cameroon.
In a statement recently, addressed to members of the National Executive Committee, NEC of the party, the chief whip comes out bluntly to express his worry concerning the forthcoming elections (in the crisis plagued North West and South West regions), whose campaign calendar opened on Saturday, January 25, 2020. The twin elections are scheduled for February 9, 2020.
The statement reads in part that,“Having been in Bamenda (with my ears on the ground and eyes wide open) since the conclusion of the November session of Parliament, I can conclude without any iota of doubt that those elections taking place in the North West Region in particular, shall be through a miracle.”
Senator Kemende out-rightly questions his comrades that “Are we counting on the largesse of the Govt/CPDM to attribute us seats in Parliament or Councils where they shall deem fit or we really count on voters?”
He maintains “Not only do we suffer a daily erosion of the voting population but the ground is made more and more hostile by the military actions.”
Kemende holds allegedly that “We have every indication that the military shall in civilian attires, man the polling stations and conduct the processes manu militaris.”
After presenting the situation which to him is very disturbing, he says “To my humble mind therefore, I see our participation in these elections within the North West and South West Regions as a betrayal of the SDF Emblem of a SCALE and the BALLOT BOX, for there shall neither be Justice nor Democracy at the polls in these two Regions.”
Concluding his statement, the North West SDF senator advises that “Maybe we take this as Food for Thought and see how to rescue the party in these two Regions within the few days remaining.”
The SDF’s decision to run for the twin elections has continued to harvest mixed feelings from some key players of the party and it is not certain what will become of the party after February 9. At press time, no response had been aired from party hierarchy especially as Chairman Fru Ndi, before leaving the country few weeks back was certain that his party will not boycott the elections. While diehard SDF militants are positive over staging a good fight in some areas where they are running within the North West and South West, others say they are realistic enough to know beforehand that much still remains to be desired after February 9.