- Atanga Nji Busily Rallying Disputed ‘Opposition’ To Support Biya, While Outlawing Opposition Coalitions
By Yerima Kini Nsom
The impression that only President Paul Biya can succeed himself and lead Cameroon after the upcoming presidential election is the main menu of intrigues staged by traditional rulers and some political parties in Yaounde recently.
After meeting in Yaounde last week, the Council of Traditional Rulers of Cameroon stirred controversy when they issued a motion of support for President Paul Biya’s candidacy for the upcoming election.
Many commentators are taking exception to such a declaration, claiming that it was teleguided, given that the meeting took place under the watchful eyes of the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji.
This stance was viewed to be even more controversial because traditional rulers are the custodians of their people and customs who should stay away from partisan politics.
According to Jean Robert Waffo of the FCC party, the fact that only 12 traditional rulers signed the document is an indication that the Minister did not succeed to manipulate a majority of them.
Those who signed were mostly members of the regime who are also traditional rulers in their areas. Besides Jacques Fame Ndongo, who is the Minister of Higher Education, many of the chiefs who signed the document are Members of Parliament of the ruling CPDM party.
Against allegations that chiefs were given FCFA 7 million each, inside sources claim that the government did not dish out such huge sums of money to the traditional rulers but helped to lodge them and reimburse their transport fares.
Just when the controversy stirred by the Chiefs was about to die down, the Minister of Territorial Administration was up with another maneuver.
He rallied some parties and some factions of certain parties to declare before his watchful eyes that they were united in support of President Biya’s candidacy at the October presidential election.
Apart from some two parties, including the Movement for the Defence of the Republic, MDR, which are satellite parties of the ruling party, the others are factions of the UPC and PCRN parties.
From the look of things, the Minister has chosen to deal with the UPC faction led by Robert Bapooh Lippot and the PCRN faction led by Robert Kona.
It is curious that the Minister, who gave his blessing to this alliance, is the very one who warned opposition political parties against forming any alliances because such alliances would be illegal.
From every indication, the regime seems to be very desperate in presenting the 92-year-old incumbent President Biya as the only person who can steer the ship of the Cameroonian nation in the circumstances.
Yet, the current of opposition against President Biya’s candidacy from the civil society, is very strong. But political analysts hold that the statusquo will triumph once more in the October election if the opposition does not field a single and strong candidate.
While Barrister Akere Muna, whose candidacy is backed by few parties led by the UNIVERS party, is being projected as one who could emerge as the single candidate of the opposition, many other people are declaring themselves candidates of their parties.
Prof. Maurice Kamto has declared himself candidate and has gone ahead to project a campaign budget of FCFA 6 billion. Despite his assurances, Prof. Kamto’s eligibility as candidate for the upcoming presidential election seems to be dangling on a balance.
Speaking during a debate on Info TV last Sunday, a pro-CPDM political analyst, Prof. Mathias Eric Nguini Owona, said Kamto has only two options to be presidential candidate.
He said Kamto can only become eligible for the October election by fulfilling conditions for an independent candidate or be presented by another party that qualifies to present a candidate. An MRC official on the panel, Justin Roger Noah, argued that MRC has elected officials that resigned from other parties and qualifies to present a candidate for the upcoming election.