Eighty-three members of the opposition party chose the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the CPDM in Ngaoundere to declare their adherence to Paul Biya’s party.

The story of the opposition Social Democratic Front (SDF) in the Adamawa region has changed considerably.

At a meeting at the Vina South I section of the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) held on March 24, 2015 in Ngaoundere to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the ruling party, 83 members of John Fru Ndi’s party crossed the carpet and embraced the CPDM.

Talking on behalf of his comrades on the occasion, a certain Oumarou Ahmadou gave as reason for their defection the inadequacies of the SDF. Amongst these inadequacies, he said, are false promises as well as manipulations.

Ahmadou went ahead to describe Fru Ndi as “an idle king who does not care about the common good.”

He added that for egoistic reasons he was catapulted to the Ngan-Ha council whereas he was supposed to be working at the Ngaounndere council. “Tired of injustice, lies and unfulfilled promises, we decided to resign,” Oumarou Ahmadou concluded.

It should be recalled that some of these former SDF supporters had attempted to win seats at the Ngan-Ha council in the September 30, 2013 municipal election, but lost to the CPDM and the National Union for Democracy and Progress (UNDP).

The carpet-crossing weakens the SDF all the more in a constituency where the CPDM and UNDP are calling the shots.

The event, it should be noted, took place in the presence of the president of the Vina South I section of the CPDM, Ali Bachir, and a high-profile guest at the party’s 30th anniversary celebration in Ngaoundere, Defence minister Edgard Alain Mebe Ngo’o. The defectors were immediately given the CPDM uniform and party cards.

Meantime, talking to the press after the ceremony, the SDF regional secretary, Jean Tchoutezem, said he had not received a resignation letter from the said “supporter of the party” and so still considers them to be members of the foremost opposition party in Cameroon.