By Sah Terence A.
Following the election of Joshua Osih as SDF presidential flag bearer for the 2018 presidential elections in Cameroon, many politicians have been raising dust amongst whom are top officials of his own party as to the possibility of him having a dual nationality, a situation that automatically eliminates him as a possible occupant of Etoudi.
Some media outlets and hushed political ranting have even insinuated the possibility of the Constitutional Council disqualifying Osih’s presidential candidature due to his dual nationality.
Osih’s, supporters, have however not been silent; they have questioned why the issue of his nationality has only been raised after he won the presidential nomination from his party and not during his candidature and mandate as a member of parliament.
Fru Benjamin, National Socialist Youth Coordinator for SDF, while speaking to The SUN, regretted that Cameroonians are very ignorant of the laws governing them and are good at concerning themselves with what is not feasible. He stressed that Osih could never have become a Member of Parliament in Cameroon if he did not meet the requirements.
He regretted that the whole thing started from within the SDF party, from those he described as haters of Osih who are working in complicity with some CPDM propagandists. He stressed that Osih himself had stated that he does not hold any other passport apart from that of Cameroon, so why should people even be worried. He furthered that the government is good at divide and rule and that it is already scared of Osih, reason why they are planting these seeds of doubt.
The SUN equally caught up with Vanigansen Mochiggle, SDF senatorial candidate for Mezam who said “Osih is a Cameroonian and if he did not meet the requirements that are necessary for one to become just a simple councillor, he would not have been MP. There are documents all persons vying for elective positions must present before being accepted to stand for any elections and one of such is a certificate if nationality which Osih presented. To tell you the truth, the CPDM is already scared of Osih and that is why you see them resulting to smear campaign,” he said.
Barrister Kemende Henry Gamsey, the SDF senatorial candidate for Ngohketunjia told The SUN that; ” Osih is a bulldozer and mind you, Cameroonian nationality is not gained by having all your parents as Cameroonians. It is even funny that people are blatantly lying that his father is not Cameroonian. Osih’s father is Cameroonian and his mother is half Cameroonian half Swiss,” he emphasized.
“Let me tell you that the Ndedi Eyango phenomenon will not work here. You must understand that people are too scared of Osih as a rival that no one will dare to compete with him without trying to get him as dirty.” He ended.
Hon. Joshua Osih brushed aside the issue during an interview on Equinoxe Tv 8 p.m. prime time news last week calling it an unnecessary polemic from those who want to dodge talking on issues.
Talking to The SUN newspaper Hon. Osih quipped, “they are using the same techniques some tried to use against Obama in the U.S. but failed woefully”. He noted that “as a two-time councillor in Toko in Ndian Division and later Douala I in the Littoral, three times as parliamentary candidate and now MP and vice chairman of the Finance Committee it means my identity has been verified by MINATD, ELECAM, the Supreme Court and the 180 members of the National Assembly during the opening session. I don’t think I owe any explanation because if I start replying, I will spend the entire campaign period on an issue that is irrelevant just like the Obama stuff”.