The Deputy Secretary General of the ruling CPDM party, Gregoire Owona, has publicly denounced calls by some of the party’s elite for President Biya to run at the 2018 election.

In a number of press interviews, Owona said he has not signed nor does he intend to sign any such call. The Minister of Labour and Social Security questioned the rationality for him to sign the calls when the text of the party is clear that the National President of the party is its natural candidate at Presidential elections.

The CPDM Deputy Scribe said he knows that, by law, the next Presidential election is scheduled to hold in 2018, and that, according to the CPDM text, President Biya will be the party’s candidate. He said he sees no sense to call on Biya to be the CPDM candidate when that is normally what will happen. Rather, he said he is looking forward to Biya being the CPDM candidate at the 2018 presidential election.

Recently, CPDM elite have been running around the country, spending huge sums of money to organise meetings and marches to call on Biya to be their candidate at the next Presidential election. Owona also blasted the call by some CPDM elite for Biya to organise an early Presidential election.

He said those calling for an early Presidential election, have not advanced any reason as to why there should be early election. Owona said he does not see any need for an early Presidential election.

Sultan Mbombo Njoya also ridiculed

Owona also ridiculed Senator Sultan Ibrahim Mbombo Njoya, who vouched for an extra- ordinary congress of the CPDM – a call made by one of the party’s bigwigs during a CPDM rally organised in Bafoussam, West Region, in February 2016.

The rally was to cause CPDM elite from the West to join the bandwagon to call for Biya’s candidature at the 2018 Presidential election. Mbombo Njoya had stolen the show when he called for the convening of an extra-ordinary congress to discuss the issue.

Owona asserted that the last ordinary congress of the CPDM held in September 2011, and that statutorily the next ordinary congress of the party should hold in September, 2016. So, there is no sense in calling for an extra-ordinary congress in a year that statutorily requires that the party holds an ordinary congress.

Ignorance of party text

Owona’s lambasting raises the question as to whether some CPDM bigwigs do not know their party’s text. The question goes to the likes of the President of the Senate, Marcel Niat Njifenji, President of the National Assembly, Cavaye Yeguie Djibril, Prime Minister Philemon Yang, former Prime Minister Peter Mafany Musonge, Ministers; Laurent Essso, Henri Eyebe Ayissi, Madeleine Tcheunte, Paul Atangana Nji, former Minister Benjamin Itoe, Senator Nfon Mukete, Senator Thomas Tobbo Eyoum and others who have been on the forefront of “the people’s call”.

The Secretary General of the Central Committee of the CPDM, Jean Nkuete, himself championed the grand meeting in Bafoussam to call on Biya to be candidate at the next Presidential election. Many CPDM elite and some political observers think Owona has been secretly put on mission by Biya and is, therefore, speaking for the President.

Other observers think that sometimes the CPDM leadership is not behind some of the motions of support sent to President Biya. Rather, some smart CPDM zealots seeking for Biya’s attention and possible compensation initiated some of these actions.

The Post has learnt from a highly placed source that, last year, Biya actually thought of the idea of calling an early Presidential election this year. Biya was reportedly troubled by political developments in France, which could return Nicolas Sarkozy to power in next year’s Presidential election. Sarkozy is known to be against Biya’s long stay in power.

Our source said Biya secretly set up a small commission headed by Jean-Baptiste Baleoken, former Chief of Civil Cabinet at the Presidency, to examine the situation on the ground and reflect on the possibility of an early election.