Court overrules Fon Teche’s objection against Fon Chafah

Mezam High Court sitting in Bamenda on Thursday August 13 dismissed an appeal entered by Fon Teche Njei who claims he’s President of the North West Fons’ Union, NOWEFU. Teche had asked the court in the appeal to drop a motion filed by Fon Chafah Isaac against his plans for a revision of the union’s constitution.

Fon Chafah had filed the motion not only against Teche’s illegal scheme to revise the union’s constitution, but equally against his refusal to quit the leadership of the union despite the expiration of his mandate.

In his preliminary objection to the Chafah’s petition, Teche asked the court not to entertain Chafah’s motion on grounds that the latter was not a duly registered member of NOWEFU and so had no legal status to act on behalf of the union.

However, the court overruled Teche’s objection stating that Chafah had the legal status to act on behalf of the union, according to Chafah’s lawyer, Barrister Henry Kemende who spoke to The Journal on telephone.

Justice Vivian Mbaki who is presiding over the matter ruled that the court will go ahead to hear the substantive matter of the motion as from August 24.

When The Journal reached Fon Teche by telephone, he hastily switched off his phone when our reporter introduced himself as calling from the Cameroon Journal. “What is Cameroon Journal?” He questioned before dropping the call. He did not only refuse to pick up our calls as we insisted to get him talk but also refused to reply to an SMS we sent to his telephone, asking to know his next plan of action after the court’s ruling.

Meantime, The Journal gathered that North West Governor, Adolph Lele Lafrique on Monday August 10 wrote a letter ordering Teche to make available to him an account of all the activities of NOWEFU begining January this year. Fon Teche, we gathered is yet to render the account to the Governor.

Fon Chafah who doubles as permanent secretary of the Cameroon Traditional Rulers’ Council had earlier hinted few months ago that all the North West Fons want is to get the court stop Fon Teche from going ahead with his plans to organize an extraordinary assembly to change the union’s constitution.

Chafah stated that as per the union’s constitution, only a general assembly can vote to change the present NOWEFU constitution and not an executive meeting.