BY ELAH GEOFREY MBONGALE & SIMON NDIVE KALLA
The second round of consultative talks to designate a candidate for the vacant Limbe paramount chieftaincy stool has suffered another adjournment in less than a month after the parties concerned failed to reach a consensus.
The Senior Divisional Officer for Fako, Engamba Emmanuel Ledoux adjourned the talks to Monday December 4, 2017 for the various families who are claiming a stake in the Limbe chieftaincy pie to come up with kingmakers who will then decide on the choice for the paramount stool that has been vacant for 12 years now, after the demise of the late Chief Fegurson Billa Manga Williams.
The three families concerned; the Manga Williams, Carrs and Mukebas all thronged into the Limbe Council hall on Friday, November 2, 2017 to lay claim to the chieftaincy title.
The talks were characterized by heated exchanges between supporters of the various parties who were trying to discredit each from the race.
According to the Manga Williams, strongly supported by Chief Samuel Ekum of Dikolo, Bimba, chieftaincy, according to the Bakwerri tradition is hereditary and is passed on from father to son or to another family member should an heir be deemed unfit or incapable of handling such a position.
They argued that the Limbe chieftaincy has been in their family for more than a century and it is but normal that after the passing of their grandfather, Chief Johannes Manga Williams who later handed over the throne to his son Ferguson Billa Manga Williams who also passed on some twelve years ago, that the chieftaincy title be handed to a member of their family.
Chief Ekum urged the SDO to proceed with the selection process since the Manga Williams family, family heads of the Bimbia clan and all the chiefs of Limbe have all endorsed their candidate, John Manga Williams for the title.
This position by the Manga Williams was however heavily contested by the Carrs and the Mukebas who argued strongly that, according to the Beele Commission created after the demise of Chief Johannes Manga Williams in 1958, it was agreed that chieftaincy in Limbe, then Victoria, was not hereditary but rotatory within the three main families that make up Victoria (Limbe) viz; Carr, Mukeba and Manga Williams.
These three families were expected to designate family heads who will in turn agree on a successor to a late chief.
The Carrs and the Mukebas are arguing that after more than a century of the Manga Williams rule, it is their turn to take the mantle of leadership. They therefore urged the SDO to respect the provisions of the Beele commission.
Enter Mola Njoh Litumbe
91-year-old Mola Njoh Litumbe, senior citizen and activist who happened to storm in on the consultative talks gave the population his own eyewitness account and history of Victoria.
Njoh Litumbe said the town of Victoria was not only inhabited by the Bakwerrians but by other people who came in from other areas.
According to his narrative, The Carrs came into Victoria and settled at Liengu Mboke, now known as New Town and had their chief, they were followed by the Mukebas who also had their own chief.
The then chiefs of Victoria which also included places like Bojongo expressed interest in having a headman who will stand as an intermediary between them and the local administration but due to the high rate of illiteracy then, none of them could be selected.
According to Mola Njoh, The resident commissioner later on found someone from the Manga Williams family who was educated but with no royal lineage.
The resident commissioner then got authorisation to appoint Manga Williams, who was a successful trader and had property in Victoria to the leadership stool amidst heavy protests from the other chiefs.
“Manga William was never crowned chief of Victoria, he was just a clever man who later became the head of the customary court and group chairman of the traditional rulers, a position he held for over half a century”, Mola Njoh insisted.
Mola Njoh added that when Chief Manga Williams died in 1958 there was a similar fight for succession and the Southern Cameroons premier at the time, John Ngu Foncha created a commission headed by the administrative officer for special duties at the governor’s office in Buea, a certain Mr. Beele to wade into the matter.
The Beele Commission, according to Mola Njoh, observed that Victoria was a cosmopolitan town with three major families who settled there; the Carrs, Mokebas and Manga Williams and decided that a successor to the Victoria chieftaincy stool should always come from the three families.
This narrative by Mola Njoh Litumbe threw another spanner in the works and was heavily criticized by Chief Epupa Samuel Ekum who accused the senior citizen of being biased due to his matrimonial relationship with one of the families.
The accusations and counter accusations led to serious tension in the hall which prompted the SDO to call for another adjournment of the matter while asking the Carrs and Mokebas to present to him their kingmakers on December 4, 2017.
The SDO also added that despite the narratives and history, he will be following the 1977 laws regulating chieftaincy matters in moderating the consultative talks.
“We do hope that on December 4, 2017 we shall have the new paramount chief of Limbe…I want to tell the community that we shall be serious, when I look at the cinema we are playing here, I think it is a pity. Let us not be in a hurry because chieftaincy is an institution which comes from God and if it is not yours, it cannot be yours.
“We don’t need a chief with much contention or opposition, we need a chief who will be able to rule the community without much difficulty and so on December 4, 2017 if you are not able to chose a chief, I will be forced to close the matter”, The SDO concluded.
According to this law on chieftaincy matters, each family is expected to present their kingmakers and candidate for the chieftaincy position. The Manga Williams were ready, but the Carrs and Mukebas did not have their kingmakers ready and are expected to provide them during the next date.
Speaking to reporters, the representative of the Carr family, David Nanjia Carr said he is the rightful successor to the throne. He added that Mola Njoh’s narrative is proof to all the protagonists that chieftaincy in Victoria is rotatory and not hereditary.
Meanwhile, the Mokeba family head also argued that after more than a century of the Manga Williams rule, it is their time to take the Limbe chieftaincy stool.