By TALLA AGHAA CHRISTOPHER
The road to the February 9 2020 twin elections have entered high gear with the various contesting parties on the field canvassing for votes following the launch of nationwide campaigns, Saturday, January 25, 2020.
In Meme Division, despite an imminent lockdown announced by Separatists to run from Friday, February 7 to 13, electorate have vowed to give a deaf ear to the call and turn out en masse at the various polling stations to perform their civic responsibility.
Talking to The SUN, a cross section of electorates had various justifications to why they will take the bull by the horn and come out to vote on D – Day.
Most of them however spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of political witch hunting and victimisation.
According to an electorate in Kumba III Mambanda, he said he is armed with his voters’ card and his polling station is at the Mambanda Government Primary School. He disclosed that there’s no reason to boycott the polls because of the alleged lockdown called by Separatists. To him, the time has come to choose their local representatives who will best fit in the shoes of the Special Status and outcomes of the Major National Dialogue.
Another electorate hinted that, he will be the first person to cast his vote at the GPS Kumba polling center. He opined that the government has reinforced security and thus there’s no reason to panic. He narrated that the Elections governing body, Elections Cameroon, ELECAM have made sincere assurance that elections will be free and fair.
However an electorate from Foe Bakundu in Mbonge Sub Division presently an Internally Displaced Person, IDP, in Kumba due to the ongoing crisis regrets the fact that he won’t be able to perform his civic responsibility on February 9. He disclosed that though he is in possession with his voters’ card, he won’t be able vote his party and candidates of his choice.
CPDM running in Mbonge, Konye unopposed
Following the launch of campaigns in Meme Division over the weekend, it was all joy on the faces of candidates of the ruling CPDM party especially those in Mbonge and Konye Council areas. Here the CPDM party is running unopposed, an indication that the party has already won the polls far ahead of time. Just like Mayor Barrister Musima Georges Lobe, list leader of the Konye CPDM Council, list leader and Mayor, Chief Daniel Matta Mokambe , CPDM list leader for Mbonge is already celebrating victory since their main political headache, the Social Democratic Front SDF, didn’t put up a list due to personal reasons going by the various Electoral District Chairpersons.
Fireworks in Kumba Urban
There will be fireworks in Kumba Urban. Kumba Urban is without gainsaying the bastion of the SDF. The party is presently in control of the three councils and the parliamentary seat. The political battle ground will see the SDF locking horns with the CPDM. Following the launching of the campaigns ahead of the forthcoming polls, political pundits in Kumba are already concluding that the polls won’t be easy. Some electorates are already blaming the crisis on the outcome of the polls on the various candidates.