Senatorial Challenges: For 12 Votes, SDF Militants want Hon. Njong Fired!

By Fai Cassian

Hon. Njong: Scape-goated by councilors

The SDF national chairman may likely become a senator thanks to his friend Paul Biya or only if the Supreme Court decides to validate 60+1 as absolute majority. According to what we gathered the prohibition by the National Communication Council for poll trends to be published by the media is not for nothing. Sources say the Supreme Court would trim-line the results as such that only 60.1% will be considered as absolute majority as against 50.1 percent. Should 60.1% be validated as absolute majority then the CPDM and the SDF will share the seats in the Northwest and South West Regions given the narrow difference of votes. Fru Ndi and Achidi Achu would both be senators. 

Yet diehard SDF militants are calling on the regional chairman Hon Njong Evaristus to resign. This is so because the 12 votes that the CPDM picked in Boyo are creating a lot of problems. It is alleged that the 12 votes were from Njinikom, Hon Njong’s own district. The SDF won in Boyo but yet 12 SDF councilors voted CPDM list. Thus Njong's constituency gave the CPDM victory in the North West Region.

The entire North West knows that it is the SDF which is the leading opposition political party in Cameroon and as Regional chairman; Hon Njong has no other option than to resign due to the fact that 12 SDF councilors voted for the CPDM in Boyo. When SDF militants continue to get echoes how in places like Adamawa where the party had not even a single council, the part won, they all want him to quit the position of chairman. 

A school of thought holds that SDF councilors voted CPDM to sanction Njong while another school of thought holds that it was to sanction Fru Ndi. It is strange. At the beginning allegations were rife that the North West CPDM list would be disqualified for Fru Ndi’s candidature to sail through but it was instead the CPDM lists for West and Adamawa regions that were rejected. The Eye is aware that when it came out from ELECAM that the list for North West has been retained, SDF hierarchy became jittery and nervous. The secret however of the gentleman agreement remains between Paul Biya (Belinga Eboutou) and Fru Ndi. Yet speculations are rife at that if Fru Ndi loses and calls on militants to sharpen their matches, he would be given a deaf ear

 This is so because a well-placed source at Elections Cameroon has hinted that the tentative results from the North West Region have not been favourable for Ni John Fru Ndi. According to the hint, the SDF has been crushed in Donga Mantung, Bui, Ngoketunjia, Menchum and Momo. While waiting for the Supreme Court to proclaim the final results, the hint further indicates that the chips are down for the SDF.

It is even alleged that some SDF councilors in Bui, Donga Mantung, Boyo, Mezam and Momo voted against SDF national chairman’s list. In Mezam, even though SDF chieftain crushed Hon. Achidi Achu with a 178 votes against 42, analysts say one SDF councilor voted for the CPDM when judged from the number of councilors each party presented at the polls. 

In Donga Mantung Division, the CPDM white-washed the SDF obtaining 88 votes as against 72 votes while in Bui Division, the CPDM carried the day with 210 votes as against 71 for the SDF. In Boyo, the CPDM which was going into the elections only with 22 councilors emerged with 34 votes as against 73 for the SDF. Even though the SDF won, 12 SDF councilors voted against their own national chairman’s list. Trends from Momo indicates that the CPDM carried the day with 78 votes as against 48 for SDF while in Menchum, all the 97 councilors voted in favour of the CPDM and the SDF got 0 vote. Echoes from Ngoketunjia also indicate that the CPDM matched over the SDF with 59 votes against 34.

However, the fact is that while waiting for the Supreme Court to validate the results, the CPDM is already celebrating its victory in the region as sources from Ntarikon indicates that there is silence and disbelief. To sum it all, the CPDM in the North West will hence be looking up to the Supreme Court to either declare them winner with 488 votes as against 475 for SDF or cancel it. It should be recalled that in some areas, the counting of votes started as early as 3pm in violation of the law. This analysts say, could lead to the disqualification of the results given that only Donga Mantung and Mezam respected that law. Fru Ndi relied on Hon Njong yet he failed woefully in his duties as regional chairman.

 Allegations are rife at that Hon Njong's supporters voted against the SDF for fear that if Prof. Nkwi goes to the senate it would be the end of Njong's reign. More so, public opinion in Belo is also aghast that Njong and Prof. Nkwi all come from the same locality. Sources close to Ntarinkon hinted The Eye that even Ni John Fru Ndi is very disappointed with what transpired at Fundong. The 12 votes we gathered is what shank the SDF senatorial list.

Apart, the Mayor of Nkum is also on the firing line as his councilors are said to have voted the CPDM list.

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