The flagbearer of the Social Democratic Front, SDF, for the October 12 presidential election has declared that time has come for Cameroonians to turn out en masse and vote for a leader who will liberate them from over 42 years of suffering. “This liberator will come from Bamenda,” Hon. Joshua Osih said.
“For political reasons, and given that this is the birthplace of our great party, the SDF, it is only right and fitting that I submit my candidacy for the presidential race in Bamenda—the very place from which the next president will emerge.”
He made these remarks in Bamenda Thursday, July 17, after submitting his candidacy file. The Northwest Regional Delegate of ELECAM, Mbowoh Elvis, and his team verified and received the documents at exactly 1 pm for onward transmission to ELECAM’s national headquarters in Yaounde.
Earlier, when the SDF national chairman arrived at Customs Junction Up Station, top party officials suggested that, given the ELECAM office was roughly three kilometres away, he should make the journey on foot as a symbolic gesture of his readiness to traverse Cameroon’s most challenging areas.
He embraced the idea and, accompanied by nearly 1,000 militants in party attire and 50 vanguards, walked the three kilometres to the ELECAM office in Bamenda I Subdivision, located near the Government Residential Area, GRA.
“I must thank my entire entourage—the National Executive Committee, NEC, the National Advisory Council, NAC, MPs, Mayors, and above all, our militants and vanguards who have come to witness this event. I will also take this opportunity to call on other aspiring candidates to trek the same distance to submit their files,” he said.
This statement drew laughter from the crowd, many of whom are aware that one such candidate in the race—seeking re-election—is Paul Biya, whom the BBC recently referred to as the world’s oldest leader.
The event, though peaceful, could have taken a different turn had SDF officials not handled it tactfully. At one point, the Divisional Officer, DO, of Bamenda I, seeing the growing crowd at Custom Junction, ordered them to disperse, citing a lack of authorisation. Just as he was about to deploy standby security forces, the Second Deputy Mayor of Bamenda, Afong Lucas, along with the Deputy Mayors of Bamenda III, Koti Joseph and Ndzerem Margaret, intervened. They spent over an hour explaining to the DO that they were receiving the national chairman to escort him to the ELECAM office, not holding a political rally requiring prior approval.
By Ta Nformi Chris Mbunwe & *Kuhbi Standley Bobe *(UBa Journalism Student on Internship)