By Peterkins Manyong
The SDF Investiture Committee headed by Chairman John Fru Ndi, has resolved to sack all the party councillors who imposed themselves as Mayors.
Two of such people are Jones Mangoh, Mayor of Nkambe Rural Council and David Chiatoh, Mayor of Njinikom.The Post has been reliably informed that the SDF Investiture Committee designated Wilfred Mbei, Nkambe SDF District Chairman, to take over the Council, but the incumbent and his supporters have vowed that rain will never fall and penetrate the ground in Nkambe should this happen.
Consequently, the party has resolved that should Mangoh remain intransigent, he would be expelled from the party following the dreaded Article 8.2. Cyprian Awudu Mbaya, re-elected MP for Nkambe, is reported to be the brain behind the plot to have Mangoh replaced.
Mangoh, who spoke to The Post by phone, said Mbei, the Councillor tipped to replace him, a retired policeman and an employee of Awudu Mbaya who was imposed as Nkambe District Chairman and now the Nkambe MP want him as Mayor.
Mangoh said when the Investiture Committee's decision, that Mbei was
the new Mayor, reached Nkambe; he challenged it in the presence of the
SDO, the Supervisory Authority.
"Elections were conducted and I won by 25 votes as against 16 for Mbei.
I am, therefore, the democratically elected Mayor of Nkambe," Mangoh
told The Post.
No sooner had this happened, he said, when Awudu Mbaya resolved to have him (Mangoh) prevented from taking over Nkambe Council.According to Mangoh, the Nkambe MP assisted by his wife and Mbei drafted a document in which he stated that the Councillors acted in ignorance by voting him.
"Awudu wants the Councillors to sign the document which claims that I am not the legitimate Mayor of Nkambe. But he is wasting his time. It is thanks to me that the SDF is waxing strong in Nkambe. If he stands for elections with me as challenger, he won't have up to five percent of the vote cast," he boasted.
Elections Or Appointments?
Meanwhile, there is a controversy surrounding the manner in which the choice of SDF Mayors came about.The Investiture Committee decided on who should be the Mayor and his assistants in the various councils won by the party. The argument that the Committee used non-performing incumbents and have always used huge sums of money to bribe Councilors to re-elect them.
That was what happened during the 2002 polls.In Batibo, where your correspondent witnessed the "election" of
Lawrence Teno, District Chairman, as Mayor, the exercise was preceded
by the arrival of a two-man delegation form the Investiture Committee.
The two were Nicholas Ade Ngwa and John Manchor. They told the
Councillors-elect that
Teno and his assistant had been chosen by the
Investiture Committee.
Some Councillors who agitated were warned of dire consequences if they
dared to nominate any other person. Despite the fact that there was
only one list, an election was conducted at the end of which Teno won
by 37 votes out of 40, with three casting null ballots.
His assistants, Frederick Tanjoh, Esther Mbah, Vincent Mbah and Joshua
Tanyi, first, second, third and fourth Deputy Mayors, respectively,
were elected by acclamation.
The exercise was supervised by Francoise Ebegue, Momo SDO, who advised the new Mayors and Councillors to work in collaboration and in total transparency to achieve the desired goals of developing Batibo Subdivision.When contacted by phone he (Awudu) said he would not comment on that now.
Good move by the SDF. You deserve some credit for this. Any move that leads to better democracy in the country deserves one.
Posted by: kouakou | Friday, 10 August 2007 at 09:42 PM