By Etienne Nfor Liboh
The November 30 Regional Elections, which is viewed by many as a machinery to dissolve power from Yaounde and empower regional structures to foster development, has come to an end in the Northwest Region of Cameroon. With the release of the results by the president of the Regional Supervisory Committee, Justice Sokem Ngalle Mborh, it is official that the CPDM, which ran unopposed in the region, has grabbed all 70 seats, while new members have found their way into the House of Chiefs, and some prominent figures, especially in Mezam, bowed out.
According to the Northwest Elecam Regional Head, Mbowoh Elvis, “The region had a total of 999 electors who were eligible to participate under the College of Municipal Councilors. Out of the 999,838, 838 effectively took part in the voting exercise, giving a percentage of participation of 83.8%. While traditional rulers had a total of 455 registered electors, 238 effectively voted, giving us a percentage of participation of 52.3%.”
As far as participation and turnout were concerned, it was realized that where there was more than one list, the participation was relatively higher on the list of traditional rulers than where it was just a single list.
A detailed figure of the participation rate in their respective divisions was equally highlighted by the Elecam Regional Head, Mbowoh Elvis, whose institution was charged with the organisation of the election: “We realize that in Boyo, for the College of Delegates, out of 108 registered, 88 voted, giving a participation rate of 81%. In Bui, out of 189 Municipal Council who were eligible to vote, 131 effectively voted, giving them a participation rate of 69.31 percent. In Donga Mantung, 162 councilors were eligible to vote, and 117 effectively voted, giving them a participation rate of 72.22 percent. In Menchum, 99 electors were Municipal Councilors; 93 effectively voted, giving them a participation rate of 93.9 percent.
“In Mezam, 221 municipal councilors voted, giving them a participation rate of 96.83 percent. In Momo, 124 councilors voted, giving them a participation rate of 82.26 percent. In Ngogetunja, 96 registered Municipal Councilors voted, giving them a participation rate of 96.88 percent. Overall, the region had 999 Municipal Councilors; 838 effectively voted, giving them a participation rate of 83.8 percent.”
For the College of Traditional Rulers, Boyo had 67 registered electors; 13 voted, giving them a participation rate of 19.4 percent. In Bui, 66 traditional rulers were eligible to vote, and 13 voted, giving them a participation rate of 19.7 percent. While in Donga Mantung, 113 traditional rulers registered, and 68 voted, giving them a participation rate of 60.18 percent. In Menchum, 70 traditional rulers registered to vote and 65 voted, giving them a participation rate of 92.86 percent.
While in Mezam, out of the 35 traditional rulers registered, 30 effectively voted, giving them a participation rate of 85.71 percent. While in Momo, 88 traditional rulers voted, giving them a participation rate of 43.18 percent. In Ngoketunjia, 16 traditional rulers voted, giving them a participation rate of 68.75 percent.
The election of traditional rulers in Mezam was highly contested with the presence of two lists, one headed by the Fon of Bali, HRM Ganyonga III Doh, and another headed by the Fon of Kedjom Ketinguh, HRM Viyuoh Nelson Sheteh, which saw the list of Fon Viyuoh Nelson Sheteh victorious over that of Fon Doh, with the tally of 17 and 13, respectively.
It should equally be noted that the commission, while declaring the results, made it clear that they had only one complaint, which came from Mezam concerning a case that one person voted on behalf of a deceased Fon, and after a thorough browsing through the reports, the complaint was discarded. Cameroonians in this part of the country are anxious about the session, as of right, to elect the executives of the Northwest Regional Assembly, which will take place on Tuesday, December 16, 2025.
