By Ta Nformi Chris Mbunwe
The Regional Delegate of Elections Cameroon, ELECAM, Elvis Mbuwo, has presented some challenges that his service has been facing in exercising their duties.
He was speaking on Saturday April 26, while presenting a comprehensive report to the President of Elections Cameroon during the 3rd edition of the Regional platform for permanent consultation between ELECAM and stakeholders of the electoral process.
The 3rd edition held under the theme: “Stakeholder engagement for peaceful, inclusive and transparent elections in 2025-2026″ According to Mbuwo, some 621,253 has been registered in the Northwest with Mezam Division leading with 203,845 voters, while Ngoketunjia tailed the Region with a dismal 9 percent voter registration.
The President of ELECAM Board, Enow Abrams Egbe, lauded the efforts of Mbonwo and his team despite the insecurity that reigns in the Northwest. Addressing election stakeholders at the auditorium of the Northwest Regional Assembly, he said the meeting was to engage all stakeholders of the electoral process, as they address the roles and responsibilities of each and every one of them to ensure that the upcoming elections are peaceful, transparent and inclusive.
With specific objectives to include; identify the key stakeholders of the electoral process and the specific roles assigned to each of them, address the strategies of boosting the inclusion and the participation in the electoral process with regards to women, youths, Persons Living with Disabilities, PWDs, minorities and indigenous people, identify and analyse the risks, challenges and opportunities involved in the organisation of the 2025 presidential election.
He made it clear that platform consultation will formulate transparency mechanism to ensure stakeholders observance of their roles and responsibilities in the electoral process, develop strategies to boost the inclusion and participation of all citizens, and especially women, youths, Persons with Disabilities, marginalised groups and minorities.
Above all, conduct a risk analysis matrix put in place to address the challenges in the organization of the 2025 Presidential Election. He called on stakeholders to fully involve the youths in the electoral process.
“We know the boys in the bushes killing and kidnappings are those children we have delivered. Security is our collective responsibility. The economy has been shattered. As I entered town to check in at Ayaba Hotel as I always do, some told me not to dare, you told them I will brave it. I am in Ayaba. We have been informed here, how ELECAM staff have been kidnapped and taken into bushes, ID cards of travellers from here to Nkambe seized and destroyed, so that they don’t register and vote.
This is pure madness. The most unfortunate thing is that as these boys are causing destruction of human lives and property in the Northwest, other regions are progressing. Take note and from me that Northwest is a shadow of itself. Can we not give peace a chance?” Enow Abrams fumed.
In same line, the Bamenda City Mayor, Paul Achobong promised hard times for those political stakeholders especially media houses that will engage the Region to violence.
“We shall mobilise the population to take care of you,” he said.
He regretted that every prosperous businessmen and women, who were doing good business in the Northwest, have left. He said peace that people are claiming for, should be a collective effort, because if Northwest is in peace, everyone will enjoy.
The Honourable Member of ELECAM, Gaspar Ngah, who accompanied the Electoral Board Chair to Bamenda, facilitated the workshop and advised that the stakeholders should carry out their duties with diligence. He was simplistic and down-to-earth with his explanations. Stakeholders resolved that the media should avoid hate speech in their reporting, ELECAM to sufficiently empower the media financially, improve on communication and protect the system from foreign interference, broken kitts be replaced, pooling stations be accessible, negotiate path to peace before, during and after, for a peaceful electoral process.
It was also resolved that single ballot paper be introduced in Cameroon, and that ambulant voters should be discouraged as it encourages fraud. This is because promoters always carry their militants to vote in most places. In response, ELECAM Chair, Enow Abrams, thanked the Regional Delegate for the Northwest, Elvis Mbonwo, for striving to boost voter registration and introducing mobile voting teams to ensure people register massively.
However, he cautioned and warned that he will not put at risk the lives of ELECAM staff in the field nor the machines. Enow Abrams promised stakeholders to implement the resolutions that can be resolved at their level, and forward those they can’t handle. But he said digital voting cannot work in Cameroon, because voters must be seen physically at polling stations.
The ELECAM delegation were reminded of last year’s resolution that voting age be brought down from 20 years to 17. However, this has been ignored.