CI-NEWS

Atanga Nji dangles re-imprisonment at Kondengui against Kamto if he dares to disturb regional electi

2020-09-15

No: 531

Atanga Nji dangles re-imprisonment at Kondengui against Kamto if he dares to disturb regional elections!

By Fonban Emmanuel

At least two political parties have announced that they would not participate in the upcoming regional elections in Cameroon, citing the non-resolution of the Anglophone crisis and government’s refusal to amend the electoral code.

Prof. Maurice Kamto’s MRC launched hostilities to the idea while the minister of territorial administration (MINAT) was consulting traditional rulers in view of the elections. Then last Sunday, SDF’s John Fru Ndi took the cue in a statement that was viewed by observers as open-ended. But when President Paul Biya went ahead to announce the polls for December 6 on Monday, Paul Atanga Nji, MINAT boss, mounted the rostrum, but directed threats of sanctions only at Kamto. For good cause. The MRC had announced demonstrations to disrupt the polls.

Speaking at a press conference in Yaounde on Monday night, Atanga Nji warned the MRC opposition leader that there shall be no safe ground for him if he attempts to bring chaos.

“Those who make wrong political calculations and look for fallacious pretexts to evade elections must also muster the courage to face the consequences of their suicidal decisions”, warned the MINAT boss . He added that he is sounding a stern warning to unscrupulous politicians, looking for cheap popularity, with a hidden agenda aimed at disrupting the electoral process.

“It must be also clear that the discontinuance of legal proceedings does not imply that the charges have been dropped. Any further act of public disorder will take them back to square one”, Atanga Nji pointed out..

It is on record that Prof. Maurice Kamto was the leading opposition leader in the 2018 presidential elections as his Cameroon Renaissance Movement dared to displace Paul Biya who has been in power for thirty-seven years.

The MRC leader and many of his party supporters were arrested on 26 January 2019 and thrown into Kondengui Prison, but on October 2019, the President of the Republic of Cameroon, Paul Biya, ordered the discontinuance of the proceedings against Maurice Kamto and some of his party members.

Pr. Maurice Kamto’s MRC is one of those political parties which campaigned against the previous twin elections and is still hoping to do so for the upcoming regional elections.

Monday’s press conference was called to inform the public through the press, of the regional elections.

It was coming after President Paul Biya convened the electoral college, ignoring the prerequisites of opposition leaders like Kamto, Fru Ndi and Edith Kahbang Wallah of CPP to the contrary.

The elections have been scheduled to take place on Sunday, December 6, 2020.

“The Regional elections will also mark the end of an electoral cycle that began on 25 March 2018 with Senatorial elections, followed by presidential elections of October same year and the twin legislative and municipal elections of 9 February 2020”, said Minister Atanga Nji.

The MINAT boss added that, the decentralization process was one of the recommendations of the Major National Dialogue and this requires organizing the elections of regional councillors.

He assured that his ministry with powers of the government agent in electoral processes in Cameroon, would support Elections Cameroon (ELECAM) with the necessary legal instruments as well as database of all the chiefdoms required.

It should be noted that ELECAM is a structure that is in charge of organizing and publishing results of elections in Cameroon.

Minister Atanga Nji also pledged to provide the necessary security to ELECAM so that they can be free from security challenges anywhere their operations will be scheduled.

See full statement of the MINAT boss on Page 4.

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Atanga Nji dangles re-imprisonment at Kondengui against Kamto if he dares to disturb regional electi