If emerging allegations that Fon Teche Njei of Ngemuwa, Batibo, faked the constitution of the North West Fons’ Union, NOWEFU, to seek a second mandate as president are established, then he has finally landed himself in deep trouble.
The crisis that has shattered a once-respected North West Fons’union into pieces appeared to have been resolved until last week the Ngemuwa fon misled the media into quoting a clearly-fabricated copy of the constitution.
The fabricated constitution, does not only empower him to hold the union’s elective assembly only in November, but equally qualifies him to seek re-election for a second mandate.
When news of Teche’s second mandate-constitution broke out, tempers flared and some North West fons who were shocked to have gotten it only from the media resorted to investigations to set the record straight. The agitated fons then brought out a copy of what they said is the original version of the union’s constitution and it was in complete contrast to Teche’s own copy.
Teche’s own version of the constitution which is said to have been revised in 2011 appears in the form of a tract, carries no official stamp and is not signed by any of the union’s officials.
The only thing that gives it a semblance of authenticity is the name of the former NOWEFU president general, Fon Francis Aneng, which appears at the end of the poorly-drafted constitution without his signature.
Unlike the pro Teche constitution, the one which was handed to The Cameroon Journal yesterday, carries the union’s official stamp on every page and the name and signature of the union’s founder, Fon Chafah Isaac.
Chafah is not only a fourth-grade magistrate but served NOWEFU for eight years as secretary general before becoming president general.
According to Article 19 of the fake constitution: “The executive bureau shall have a mandate of three years renewable once…” Going by it, the union’s incumbent president, Teche Njei who is also Senator, can duly seek re-election for a second mandate during an general assembly election that must be held only on the last week of November 2015.
What, however, obtains in Article 40 of the latter document which is being presented as the authentic constitution reads: “The executive bureau shall have a mandate of three years non-renewable.”
Contrary to Article 17 of the pro- Teche NOWEFU constitution which allows the incumbent bureau (whose mandate expired since March 16, 2015) to hold fresh elections only on the last week of November 2015, Article 17 of the other states that: “The incumbent executive must hand-over power on same date he was elected into office.”
The Cameroon Journal was informed that what is now being brandished as the 2011 revised NOWEFU constitution by Fon Teche’s supporters was a draft document that was rejected during the union’s general assembly.
In rejecting it, members set up a committee, headed by the fon of Bafut to study it before its presentation and adoption by the NOWEFU general assembly.
That committee, The Journal gathered, had never met. Other members of the committee that were put in place to revise the union’s constitution which Teche and Co. are today parading the corridors with Fon Chafah Isaac of Bangolang and Fon Fobuzie Martin Asanji of Chomba.
Contacted on the developments, Fon Teche maintained that his version is the authentic piece and referred reporters to Fon Fobuzie of Chomba whom he said has the final say on which of the two constitutions is authentic. But reached on phone, Fon Fobuzie said, “Any constitution that is being presented as revised edition after 2005 is fake.”
It should be recalled that a crisis meeting summoned by North West governor, Adolph Lele L’Afrique, two weeks ago to resolve the crisis suffered a setback when it emerged that neither the fons pressing for the holding of an elective assembly this month or those in favour of one in November could produce the union’s constitution to back their claims.
It was thus resolved, as the deadlock persisted, that the Mezam SDO get the authentic NOWEFU constitution; forward it to the governor who after reading through would summon the quarrelling fons to pass judgment on when the new elections should be held; depending on what the constitution says.
A source at the tension-packed gathering told The Cameroon Journal that were it not for the governor’s unmatched knowledge of conflict resolution, it would have degenerated into an exchange of blows.
“It was shocking the way I saw the custodians of North West tradition trading insults in their quest to keep or get power…,” the source who asked not to be named hinted. The meeting got stormy to the point Fon Teche’s own secretary general told him to his face that he was trying to manipulate the union’s constitution to hang on to power for ulterior motives.
Fon Teche, The Journal gathered, hit back at Fon Ndofua; accusing him of being blind to the point he cannot interpret the union’s constitution. “Should I be held responsible if a man who calls himself the secretary general of an institution does not know how to interpret the body’s constitution?,” Fon Teche reportedly thundered.
It is not clear if the decision by prominent North West fons to boycott the crisis meeting was an indication that they were in support of Fon Teche or have simply lost interest in the once reputable union. The fons of Mankon, Nso, Kom, Bali, Bafut, Nkwen, Chomba, Guzang etc; invited to the meeting all stayed away.
