President Paul Biya clocked 32 years in power on Thursday November 6. CPDM militants in the North West and South regions celebrated in an obnoxious way, his long-drawn-out stay in power as the Head of State, head of the army, head of the judiciary, head of the national football team and head of all ‘juicy’ state institutions whose directors are appointed by him.
In Buea, Hannah Etonde, Fako III WCPDM section president, while addressing militants called on President Biya to stay in power for the next 32 years. In Limbe, an ambitious party official who is eying the post of section president almost spoiled the day’s party when he started throwing bank notes to the crowd. The move was seen as tacitly campaigning for the position that is currently held by Andrew Motanga, Government Delegate to the Limbe City Council. He was pulled out of the crowd and told to stop over exhibiting his political ambition.
The SDO for Meme in Kumba was on hand to plead with quarrelling CPDM militants to reconcile while in the nation’s capital like elsewhere in the national territory last week; public offices were empty by mid day.
In Balikumbat Sub Division in the North West region, a motion of support that sanctioned last Thursday’s celebrations pleaded with President Biya to seek another mandate when the current one runs out in 2018. Coming on the heels of what has befallen Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso for attempting to hang on to power against the will of his people, political analysts have qualified the Balikumbat motion as a trap for President Biya who would have clocked 36 years in power when his current mandate expires in October 2018.
In Misaje sub division in Donga Mantung Division, Fuh Calistus (Minister) announced a better, for worse marriage with President Biya even without the presence of a civil status registrar to sign the marriage certificate.
Other big news of the event came in from Ndu where party officials not only ‘boycotted’ celebrations marking President Biya’s long stay in power but refused categorically to support the event financially, morally and materially.
CPDM locals in Ndu told our reporter that apart from former Minister Ngafeeson Emmanuel Bantar and SNH director of exploration, Tamfu Simon who contributed 50.000FCFA each to the more than twenty five sub sections, all other Ndu CPDM officials refused picking their calls throughout the period of last week.
In frustration, Ndu CPDM locals were about taking their beggar’s bowl to the market place to get funds to celebrate the day until Minister Fuh Calistus who hails from far away Misaje sub division rushed to their rescue with the sum of 400.000FCFA.
It was apparently the quarrel over who contributes what for the celebration of President Biya’s anniversary in Ndu that forced the town’s SDF mayor, Bunyui Emmanuel Nyugab to go gate-crashing in Nkambe where there was much to eat and drink. He told those who cared to listen at the residence of the section president for Nkambe, Ngala Gerard that he does not believe in politics of bitterness.
In Kumbo, Bui Division of the North West Region, supporters demanded that the government create a faculty of medicines of the Bamenda University in Kumbo. To them, the creation of the faculty will decongest the Medical Faculty of the University of Bamenda.
They equally demanded that a City Council be created in Kumbo, and that more roads be tarred in the town. The call for the creation of a city council in Kumbo has been seen by SDF militants as an attempt to overshadow the powers of the current SDF mayor, given that Biya always appoints only CPDM bigwigs to the posts of government delegates.