By Peterkins Manyong
Northwest Paymaster General and President of the Balikumbat Development Organisation, BADO, Ignatius Dingha Bayin, on Friday, April 13, emerged winner of the coveted Balikumbat Section Presidency.
Dingha beat incumbent Edward Banla by 507 votes to 134 in the BADO hall. So too did J.B Ndeh, in Santa, Abety in Tubah and David Suh Achirimbi in Bafut.
Professor Daniel Lantum and Dr. Uphie Melo Chinje, President and Vice President of the reoganisation team for Ngoketunjia, foresaw hostilities in the course of the voting and cautioned militants against disorder.
While Prof. Lantum praised Balikumbat people for their massive turnout, Melo Chinje told them that there is bound to be misunderstandings once in a while.Philip Pezumbia, who coordinated the exercise, was sterner and warned potential trouble makers that gendarmes would "take proper care" of whoever was caught in electoral malpractice.
This warning did not deter one Tafili Tonga, leader of a gang calling itself "Barracks Boys", loyal to one Banla from invading the stage where the ballot boxes were and attempting to stir a free-for-all fight despite the presence of Fon Doh at the high table.
The boys even went as far as gripping the gendarmerie captain by the throat. The captain, however, exercised tremendous powers of self control and with the assistance of fellow gendarmes, bundled the insurgents out of the hall.
Banla and his supporters had sufficient reasons to be pessimistic. The applause that greeted every move of Dingha, from his entry into the hall to the moment when he stood to display the colour of his ballot paper, were enough to indicate which direction the wind was blowing.
Even before the counting began, Banla and most his supporters had stormed out of the hall in anger. The women and youth wings of the party that supported Dingha were logically declared winners by acclamation.
J.B Ndeh, Abety, Achirimbi Victorious
In other results, John Begheni Ndeh emerged victorious in Santa, beating his opponent George Ndikum by 280 votes to 197. In Bafut, Prince David Achirimbi headed a consensus list and so became Section President by acclamation.
The greatest surprise, however, was the defeat by four votes of Kennedy Mbonifor, Parliamentary aspirant for Bafut and self-proclaimed list leader for Mezam by one Walters Tafor.
Mbonifor, who seemed to have had a presentiment that he would lose, had attempted to negotiate with his opponent before the election, but failed.In Bali, a relatively unknown Ajong Ngu emerged as Section President, while Peter Abety, GCE Board Chairman, and former Special Duties Minister, carried the day in Tubah.
Paul Ngabir, a prominent businessman and indefatigable CPDM adherent, won when his challenger foreseeing his fate, threw in the towel at the last minute.By press time the results from Mezam and Batibo were still being awaited.
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