While adherents of the CPDM party nationwide used the 29th anniversary of the party to bury the hatchet, re-establish cohesion within and trumpet eulogies to the regime for having clocked 29 years, those in Fako III, Buea, Southwest Region, chose to canvass support for upcoming elections.

Emmanuel Motomby Mbome, YCPDM President Fako III, declared that it was time for him to occupy a greater post of responsibility within the party.

According to him, after leading the YCPDM for years, his status now permits him to gain a higher station where big wigs like Senator Mbella Moki, Paul Meotto, Francis Ngundu, Humphrey Ekema Monono among others, are perched.

In what sounded like a declaration of candidacy for Fako III Section Presidency, a position currently occupied by Senator Charles Mbella Moki, Motomby’s speech was applauded by some militants while an uneasy calm enveloped the atmosphere thereafter.

According to some militants, the declaration was ill-timed given that the cracks and fracas left behind by the party’s investitures for the September 30 twin elections. Many fear that the declaration will further fuel the animosity within the party.

For his part, Mbella Moki was quick to note that though they were celebrating, the past 29 years have been rocked by challenges. He, however, applauded the astute leadership of the party, which he said, has strived to surmount these challenges and has left positive benchmarks in all segments of the economy. The Fako III Section President beseeched fellow militants to be vigilant in their choices of leadership because according to him, good leaders should be those that illuminate a community and fight for the general interest. New Mayor Boycotts Anniversary

Another twist in the 29th anniversary celebration of the CPDM in Buea was the conspicuous absent of the Mayor of Buea, Patrick Ekema Esunge. Some CPDM militants were perplexed by his absence, while others did not seem surprised.

Some militants mooted that the Mayor deliberately boycotted the event for fear of sitting next to his predecessor during the event. Reports

have it that the relationship between Ekema and Mbella has degenerated to the extent that the former stayed away from the funeral of the latter’s mother.