By SAH T. ANIMBOM & SIMON N. KALLA
Ears have been on the ground in the North West Region to hear where the Social Democratic Party SDF is launching their own campaigns for the February 9, 2020 elections but the atmosphere has continued to look like the SDF does not exist in the Region. With the Cameroon Peoples Democratic Movement CPDM holding two big meetings at Ayaba Hotel and at the Bamenda Congress Hall on Saturday January 25, and Wednesday January 29, 2020 respectively, The SDF has been as mute as never before.
All attempts by The SUN to get to Hon Njong Evaritus, SDF Regional Chair for the North West and Mayor Njong Donatus, the regional coordinator for the SDF municipal and legislative lists have failed. They do not reply to messages nor pick up calls, an attitude which is very weird given the present dispensation.
However, The SUN had a brief chat with Senator Mochigle, SDF senator for Mezam who gave a very logical explanation as to why the SDF has so far not launched their campaigns in the North West despite the fact that other parties have. “The fact that the CPDM can only choose a place like Ayaba hotel to launch a campaign that is supposed to be an activity to galvanise people just underscores the fact that there is total insecurity. There is civil war going on and the people are traumatised. Talking about Ahladji Lawan Bako of the UDP…he too is launching in a hotel because he is scared of venturing to his village and out there. Can you conveniently move from Bamenda to Bafut? You know the answer. If we are not launching, it is because it is the culture of the SDF to campaign openly and to people. You see we the SDF is a grassroot party. You do not expect the SDF to go launch their campaigns within the confines of a secured hotel” the senator argued.
He furthered that “We are participating in this election because we are a republican party and if we do not participate, we cannot bring out the flaws. We are participating in order to show the flaws to the whole world. If we do not participate, we lose the voice to talk”.
The SDF party is very divided over the participation of the party in the twin elections. Some persons think that the party should have just given up their participation like the CRM party and push for the resolution of the Anglophone crisis before elections. As the heat burns, the SDF may not have any campaigns in the North West in the days and weeks ahead.
SDF vows to regain seat in Fako Division
The Social Democratic Front, SDF party in Fako division has vowed to regain its lost seats in Fako Division. This was revealed during the launch of the party’s campaign in Limbe on Tuesday January 28, 2020.
The colorful launching exercise that started at mile 4 Bonadikombo Motor park, saw militants chanting “we must win this year’s elections…” They proceeded to Isokolo, Bota, Down Beach, New Town and later stationed at Church Street where the campaign proper was staged.
However, only a handful of militants attended the campaign rally. The South West Regional chairman Elundu Joseph and other speakers of the campaign rally said the South West has been the SDF bastion since the inception of the party. With many councils and parliamentary seat in Fako taken over by CPDM in the past elections, the SDF candidates have vowed to regain the least grounds in the February 9 polls.