By Noela EBOB BISONG
A working session coordinated by the South West Permanent Regional Delegation of the Central Committee of the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement CPDM party will take place come July 26 and 27 in the Fako IV (Tiko) and Fako IA (Limbe I) Sections respectively.
According to a note from the party in the South West, the two-day working session will be coupled with a seminar. The Permanent Regional Delegation PRD team to storm the two sections shall be led by HRH Chief Senator Tabetando with Hon. Forju Bernard, Dr. Ndoh Bertha, Dr. Humphrey Monono forming the delegation and Dr. George Mafany Teke as resource person.
The gathering is taking place within the context of indiscipline, backstabbing and division within the Sections, formation of camps with differing opinions, disrespect of party hierarchy, poor organisation and attendance of party events (including ongoing voters registrations), non-respect of party procedures, rules and regulations as well as “illicit actions of certain prominent Militants to illegally position themselves for future municipal and legislative elections”, the note states.
The meeting therefore has as objectives to among other things, inculcate into militants the lessons and message of appeasement, love, unity, loyalty and goodwill and instill a sense of discipline, responsibility, loyalty, respect for hierarchy and self-sacrifice on the part of militants. It also aims to “vulgarize the legal provisions on the functioning of a Section, Party discipline, the collection and management of the financial resources of the Party” as well as consolidate the unity and willingness of the officials and Militants of each of the two Sections to work together”.
Participants at the working session/seminar include Members and Charges de Mission of the Fako PDD, Fako East MP, Regional Councilors of Fako IA and IV, Section Executives of the CPDM, WCPDM, YCPDM of Fako IA/IV Sections, Sub-section presidents of the two Sections, Mayors and Deputies of the Sections, Limbe City Mayor and traditional rulers covering Fako IA and IV.
The training seminar/working session will see a number of presentations centering on discipline and functioning of party Sections etc. and an evaluation of voters’ registration.
Recall that during a May 31 CPDM meeting in Limbe which was coordinated by the head of the Permanent Divisional Delegation PDD of the Central Committee of the CPDM in Fako Division, Pr. Nalova Lyonga, some militants in Fako I, III and IV expressed various pre-occupations which they held is stalling party activities. They requested the Fako Coordinator to organise another sitting to give an in-depth look into the Sections.
To this, Nalova Lyonga affirmed that such issues will be revisited. “We are going to have a time we shall talk, it is not now but I have heard the worries”, she said, and called on the militants to keep working hard, as time waits for no one. The forthcoming coming working session/seminar could therefore be a response to Minister Nalova’s promise.
Ahead of the imminent meeting, The SUN contacted Fako IA acting Section President -Ludwig Makaka and Fako IV Section President- Hon Efite Andrew (also first deputy Mayor of Tiko Council) for their observations, to no avail. However, inside sources at the Sections say uneasy calm culminating in strained relations among militants have been rocking the two Sections for months now.
The crux of the matter
The case in Tiko, reports say has its roots from the events leading to the 2020 Municipal elections, where former Section President, Victor Elame was flushed out due to a strong tie between Chief Mesoso and Andrew Efite. Following CPDM party reorganisation in 2020 stipulating that 3rd class chiefs were barred from becoming Section Presidents, Chief Mesoso pitched tents with Efite and they narrowly won the elections amidst alleged irregularities. However over time, it appears power tussle between Mayor Mesoso and first deputy Mayor Efite seems to have deteriorated to the point where the office of the first deputy was allegedly sealed for over a month before an intervention by Fako Senior Divisional Officer will have it reopened. At press time, The SUN gathered that some level of reconciliation had been reached in the Section, making the case better than that of Fako IA.
In Fako IA, it appears Late Section President Motanga’s shoes have been quite big to fill. Nonetheless, acting Section President, Makaka has been trying his best but has met stiff opposition within the Section, following his attempt to co-opt comrade Bodylawson as vice Section President. The said move which sparked up resentment has further plunged the Section into camps. Reports say the other camp being led by adviser Kontchou Emmanuel and Ekema Roland Ngale, YCPDM Section President is said to have a large following of the militants of the section, including some prominent party militants.