Two officials of the SDF in the Littoral Region have been suspended from the party for disrespecting the national and party anthems.

The two, Jean Marc Bouadja, Regional Secretary for Political Education and Training, and David Nyassi, Mungo North Coordinator of the party were served their letters of suspension on January 12, by the Littoral Disciplinary Committee of the SDF.

The duo are proponents of the dissident group in the Littoral SDF that has been fighting to topple Hon Jean Michel Nintcheu, Chairman of the Littoral SDF.

The leader of the dissident group, Adolphe Same Lottin, current Chairman of the Douala I Electoral District, has also been sanctioned. Lottin was equally served his suspension letter on January 12.

Meanwhile, John Ndangle Kumase, Chairman of the Douala IV Electoral District, who also appeared before the Disciplinary Committee, was only issued a warning.

The incident concerning the disrespect of the national and party anthems occurred on November 2, 2014, during the Littoral Executive Committee meeting of the SDF, which held in Njombe in Mungo Division.

The meeting was attended by the 1st Vice National Chairman of the party, Hon Joshua Osih. During the meeting, Osih stated that he was there as a member of the SDF in Littoral.

In a video recording of what transpired at the Njombe conclave, Osih was visibly infuriated by a number of incidents which were caused by some members of the Lottin-led group.

Show Of Disrespect For Nintcheu

The first incident occurred at the beginning of the meeting, when the Littoral Chairman, Hon Nintcheu, called on his fellow comrades to rise for the singing of the national and party anthems. While other militants of the party respected Nintcheu’s orders, Bouadjo and Nyassi did not.

After the anthems, Osih, who was discomfited, made it clear to Hon Nintcheu that such an unpatriotic attitude shown by Bouadjo and Nyassi was inadmissible and cannot be condoned by the SDF.

Fisticuffs At Meeting

The meeting was also characterised by a lot of disorder caused by members of the dissident group. Some members of the group, like Richard Wango of Douala I, attempted to disrupt Osih’s speech. At one point, some of them stormed the high table to disrupt the meeting. When Vanguards, assisted by some concerned SDF militants, tried to call them to order, members of the group transformed the meeting hall into a boxing arena. Osih, interpreted the Njombe incident as a planned act.

“I have seen, and will render account,” he noted.

Meanwhile, one of the resolutions that were adopted condemned the misdemeanor of Lottin, Bouadjo, Nyassi, and Kumase, at the meeting. It was resolved that Bouadjo and Nyassi, would appear before the Disciplinary Committee of the SDF for gross indiscipline and their refusal to respect the national and party anthems.

Sanctions

The Disciplinary Committee of the Littoral SDF met on January 4, and examined a series of files. At the end of its deliberations, the Committee slammed a five-year suspension on Bouadjo, while Nyassi, who failed to appear before the Committee, was slammed a six-year suspension.

Lottin was accused of gross indiscipline, violation of the party’s Constitution and usurpation of functions. Lottin reportedly applied to the DO of Douala I for authorisation to hold an event, during which, election to the post of Wouri Divisional Coordinator of the SDF would take place. The Disciplinary Committee noted that Lottin acted in violation of the SDF Constitution.

Asagngu Declares Sanctions Null And Void

A French language daily, La Nouvelle Expression, on January 5, reported on the sanctions that were meted out on the three local SDF officials on January 4. But it was only on January 13 that the decisions of the Disciplinary Committee were formally released.

The National Organising Secretary of the SDF, Asapngu, issued a release two days after the newspaper publication, declaring the decisions of the Disciplinary Committee as null and void. Asapngu said the organs of the party in the Littoral Region are undergoing reorganisation, as such, no militant can be sanctioned.

But many SDF militants in Douala have questioned whether it is Asapngu or NEC that has the constitutional power to lift the sanctions on the trio.

Asapngu Violated The Constitution -Osih

In reaction to Asapngu’s release, Hon Joshua Osih, said the SDF National Organising Secretary was incompetent to lift the sanction.

“I was served with a letter purportedly signed by the National Organising Secretary of our party, cancelling the decisions of the Regional Executive taken on January 4. My immediate thought was that it was a fake letter, because with the esteem I have for our National Organising Secretary, he would not go as far as to write such a letter which is in contradiction to our Constitution.”

“I will advise those who have been sanctioned that, instead of going and playing the victim at the level of the media, they should rather revisit the Constitution of the SDF and they will have room for appeal to NEC.” Osih advised.