SW Governor Wants My Blood - Hon. Ayah

By Elvis Tah

The MP for the Akwaya constituency in the Southwest Province, Hon. Paul Ayah Abine, has indicated that Southwest Governor, Louis Eyeya Zanga, together with some of his subordinates may be plotting to have him killed.

Hon. Ayah: The face of a hunted man

Hon. Ayah, thinks that his comments on the proposed constitutional amendments published by this newspaper earlier this month, might have irked the Governor and gotten him plotting to assassinate him.

The MP told this reporter that the Governor has set up a team, headed by the Provincial Delegate of National Security, with a brief to concoct evidence that he (Ayah) supplied weapons to some Nigerian mercenaries who are killing people and burning down villages in Akwaya.

Ayah was quick to add that, since early August 2007, he hasn't set foot in Akwaya, which, he said, is some 500 km away."Akwaya is inaccessible by road and the missionary aviation that was airlifting the sick from Akwaya has been grounded for a collective punishment," said Ayah.

He said the Governor has held a meeting where plans to burn his house in Akwaya were hatched.According to the MP, the Governor visited Akwaya on March 19, 2007, to oversee the plot against his re-election.

"The Governor told the electorate not to vote for me and ordered the SDO to suspend the salary of one of my political allies, Michael Samo, who was earlier given a transfer order, if he didn't leave Akwaya," said Ayah.

He said the DO and the candidate of the administration brought armed thugs on April 20, 2007, disguised as members of the Electoral College and that they ambushed innocent citizens, sexually assaulted women and disrupted the primaries.

He added that the Mayor and his clique met at Amana and travelled to Nigeria to find a "medicine man" to kill him.Hon. Ayah continues: "I received a phone call from Stephen Ebombe Ngonde on February 8, 2007, informing me that I had been taxed the sum of FCFA 150.000 for Youth Day celebration. That Mr. Ebombe called me for the first time since his appointment was a surprising volte-face. I promised to meet him when I reached Akwaya on February 10.

"At 18:36 hours that same day, I received a message (SMS) from Nigeria that Mr. Ebombe and Mr. Denis Mega of Akwaya Council had plotted against me in Nigeria that I was trafficking in arms and ammunition, and requested that the police and emigration should search my person, my luggage and vehicle anytime I came."

The MP stated that when he got to the residence of the Mamfe SDO, the SDO delayed to receive him, which, according to him, was a calculated attempt to make him travel back at night.

The Oliti/Yive War

Hon. Ayah revealed that in Akwaya, both Ebombe and Mega confronted him, raining political attacks on him.He said some of his tribesmen, Oliti villagers, met him and complained to him that Ebombe and Mega were inciting war between Oliti and Yive (Mega's tribe).

Hear him: "The Yive came in a gang of 60; 36 of them carried guns and desecrated Oliti farms at Okerika with eight different jujus."Ayah alleged that a certain Nathaniel Akahemba, Mega's nephew from Nigeria, supplied the Yives with arms, ammunition and mercenaries, funded by Mega.

"A group came to inform us that the Megas had the map of Oliti and that the first houses to be attacked were mine and those of Chief Motom, Pa Joseph Ochumo and Pa Samuel Akpena. The brigade commander guarded my compound on that night," Ayah said.

He said Mega died in December last year and he (Ayah) sent FCFA 50,000 for his funeral.
"The Yives and Ebombe diverted the money for the purchase of ammunition and the hiring of mercenaries from Nigeria, who came to the funeral, disguised as mourners and attacked an Oliti man on December 31," Ayah narrated.

He added that, after the attack, he (Ayah) called for military intervention several times but that the government ignored the call. "The Mayor, who was in Mamfe, finally left for Akwaya on January 7, 2008, after about 8 Olitis had been killed," Ayah explained.

The MP said all was well with him until he accepted proposals on January 26, 2007, by his constituents to seek another term of office. "…The result was war, murder and mercenaries against Ayah and his people within the week."

The Parliamentarian stated that his predicament is further compounded by his critical stance on national issues. "I was refused a visa to travel to Britain, where I was invited to represent Cameroon in the Parliament of the Commonwealth," said Ayah.

Contacted by telephone for the Governor's side of the story, Eyeya Zanga snarled: "... call me during working hours!"

Comments

[Tita Mofaw]

you guys should kill each other. After all that is what RDPC and le grand ambition stands for. Lets only pray that God will help Popo to succeed in changing the constitution so that he can stay in power since there is nobody in Cameroon who is competent enough to lead the country through this difficult moment in our history.

[Kumbaboy]

Hon. Ayah,

Cameroon has no exit VISA and has no influence on the UK consulate on VISA matters. Who refused you an EXIT VISA?

Is the journalist aware of facts to be able to challenge the CPDM MP? This is not good for journalism.

[kenedy Epie]

I am a bit worried about this story. I hope the writer is so sure of the quoted facts. It is too dangerous when personalities are attacked in reporting.
However, the progressive stands taken by Hon. Ayah making him an in-house-critic of the CPDM may expose him to treats and plots from all quarters of the regime.
I will advice that we must be sure and be ready to defend what we write in the media. A word to a wise is sufficient.
Kenedy Epie,
Helsinki, Finland.

[Tekum Mbeng]

One would imagine that the Post editorial team would screen any front page story to avoid seeming fiction/imagination.

The trouble here is most Cameroonian journalistic writings are no different from "Mami acara"'s recipe. There is a bit of salt and a bit of pepper. The truth is waxed with fiction and sold to an uncritical public.

This is titilation - it sells newspapers like the UK press uses sex to sell tabloid editions. Oh yes, sometimes, the same tabloid makes 2 print runs to catch up with the latest twists.

Regarding Cameroon, telling lies is a national pass time, from the Head of State to the truck pusher. This is not good.

[UnitedstatesofAfrica]

Is it just me or this looking really childish? I don't know if it's the mediocre journalism or the factless/baseless/illogical claims made by Hon. Ayah. I'm not saying his claims are untrue but couldn't he have made them in a more logical and fact-based manner? then again, the problem might be how the journalist presented the story.
This brings me back to my dilemma. Is the problem with the mediocre journalism or Hon. Ayah's factless presentation of his complains?

[UnitedstatesofAfrica]

"The trouble here is most Cameroonian journalistic writings are no different from "Mami acara"'s recipe. There is a bit of salt and a bit of pepper. The truth is waxed with fiction and sold to an uncritical public."- Tekum Mbeng

lol lol lol lol lol lol...this is soooo funny but soooo true...lol lol lol lol lol lol...I am literally rolling on the world and laughing out loud.

One would think that with all of The Post's experience, they would know better than to run a factless and baseless cover story. For how many more years? how many more?

[Mburlih]

The name of Hon Ayah is the only reason for any one to be patient enough to go through what is a utter scrap of an article. All one can advise the post is to take the investigation all over again, and in the process get a coherent interview from the Honorable gentleman.
The possibility that Mr Ayah could be in the devilish books of the regime are very real given his status as an intellectual who speaks his mind irrespective of political labels. He has time and again let it be known, and with concrete justifications, for example,that the Cameroonian constitution has a lot of loop holes designed to keep as much power with the President of the Republic as is possible, consequently rendering Parliament useless.No reasoning Cameroonian can disagree with that.It could therefore have been decided by the "hierachy",or an individual seeking favors from them, to silence the honorable MP.It is therefore worth while waiting for he Post to respond to the shrieking disapprovals on this Forum before we write off the story.

[londoner]

You want quality journalism? Then invest in training and skills. You reap what you sow. You cannot sow corn and expect to reap beans.

What do you expect from products of the glorified high schools called UB, Soa, Dschang etc? What are their budgets on training, infrastructure, books, learning aids, research, lecturers etc?

How can the annual budget of University College London rival that of the entire education system in Cameroon? Ridiculous.

Next time before you rant, rave and demand quality journalism, spare a thought for these kids who have practically been left to fend for themselves.

[In search of Justice]

death does not only visit the underprivileged. Mr. man or mp as you call yourself, do you know how many people your signature in the parliament through the cpdm has killed on the streets in Bamenda and Kumba. Just shot-up your month and face death we we on the street do. Stop complaining of a system to help to build. Were are our brothers in Kondengui and those in the grave. If you come to hide at my back door, i will hand you over to the governor. You all are birds of thesame feather.