Shortlist of Nominees for Unique Candidate for Anglophone for Presidency 2018

Press Release                            

Shortlist of Nominees for Unique Candidate for Anglophone for Presidency 2018

After launching online and offline nominations for a unique candidate for an Anglophone for Presidency 2018 on March 2016, and after the names of eight shortlisted candidates were published in June 2016, by the campaigners for an Anglophone for Presidency 2018, led by the Cameroon Journalists for Justice solutions and the Rule of Law, CJ4J, we hereby bring to your attention the names of those who have successfully made it to the ¼ finals.

While voting would intensify on social media networks and other platforms so as to produce semi-finalist come March 2018 and eventually the finalist by May 2018, we urge voters and concerned Cameroonians to continue to search deeper for a consensual candidate from amongst the shortlist that would give the ruling oligarchy a run for their money come October 2018 Presidential elections. It should be recalled that this loose platform of like-minded individuals referred to as Cameroon Journalists for Justice Solutions and the Rule of Law has since February been articulate on the question of an Anglophone becoming Cameroon’s next President for reasons of poetic justice, a balancing act, peace, unity and stability, fundamental democratic principles, politics na njangi, the commonwealth, operationalization of bilingualism and multiculturalism, and above all, the dignity and respect of minorities.

The group functions with the understanding that after 56 years of continues Francophone-inspired leadership in Cameroon, and giving the prevailing circumstances, it is imperative all hands be put on deck to see to it that Cameroon’s next President is a bona fide Southern Cameroonian.

The collective fighting for an Anglophone to be Cameroon’s next President has for the past two years been seeking across-the-board nominations for a suitably qualified candidate for an Anglophone for Presidency 2018.

The group insists on the fact that:

Nominators Must be Cameroonians of voting age and whose names Must be on the voter roll.

Nominees Must be bona fide Anglophones who apart from fulfilling the conditions outlined in our first ‘A People’s Call for an Anglophone for Presidency 2018’ of February 10, 2016, should have bona fides credentials that set them aside from others.

Apart from being perfectly bilingual and ready to protect and promote the bi-jurial, bi-educational and bi-administrative nature of our country, the nominee should be open to reintroducing the federal system of government in Cameroon as obtained after independence.

To nominate any candidate, nominators should also take into consideration the following criteria that make for a good candidate for the country’s top job:

-Organizational Leadership: Given that Presidents depend on a large team of advisers to help them make informed policy decisions, nominators should take into consideration the nominee’s ability to organize an effective team and then get as much as possible from the team. Attention should be paid to the candidate’s ability to debate with his/her advisers on the merits of a given decision taking into consideration the fact that an important part of organizational leadership is the ability to minimize the tendency of subordinates to tell their boss what they sense s/he wants to hear, as obtains now in Cameroon.

-Knowledge about contemporary issues: The nominee should be someone who is knowledgeable about the issues of the day and be capable of discussing them freely with the local media and the public. Note should be taken to the fact that the more informed a candidate is on the issues, the more detailed he/she can be in policy prescriptions.

-Personal Character: Given the critical nature of the Anglophone public and given that generally, voters would look beyond the issues into the personal character of the presidential candidate, nominators should do us a better job of nominating only people who are generally perceived by the public to be honest and trustworthy, even as we know that ‘there is no art to find the mind’s construct in the face’.

-Respect for constitution: Given the colossal torments our organic law or constitution has undergone in recent years as it has been severally changed and revised in much the same way school text books have been, nominators should look out for a candidate who demonstrates evidence for the respect of our fundamental laws. The next President of Cameroon MUST be someone who is knowledgeable on the legal boundaries of executive powers and a history of applying the constitution to every piece of legislation and policy question.

-Flexible Mind: A 21^st century president who is ready to lead Cameroon into emergence earlier than 2035, would be like a hedgehog, grappling with a lot of different issues simultaneously-ranging from unplanned crisis events through domestic to foreign issues. Flexibility is an asset here given that the president will be making important decisions on many very different issues on a daily basis.

Over and above these considerations, you should strive to nominate candidates who care about the needs of people like you, and who do not change their positions on issues for political reasons.

At this stage of the nomination process, party affiliation does not count as we are working toward a coalition candidate.

All eligible nominees are posted on the nomination gallery where YOU will be able to endorse the candidate you will support. Nominees will be evaluated by our panel of judges and the shortlisted candidates would be announced by March 30, 2018. All shortlisted candidates will receive widespread visibility through our social media channels before the last round of online and offline voting for the unique Anglophone candidate for Presidency 2018 commences on May 14, 2018.

Here with the ¼ Finals Shortlist:

1] Kah Walla

2] Osih Joshua

3] Akere Muna

4] Moki

Colbert Gwain

For Campaigners for Anglophone 4 Presidency 18

anglophone4presidency18@gmail.com

 



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