Fon Teche expels Nso, Mankon, Bali, Bangolan Fons and 163 others From NOWEFU

At least 167 members of the North West Fons’ Union (NOWEFU) have been expelled from the union, if a list deposited at the Mezam High Court by current president, Fon Teche Njei is anything to go by.

Those expelled according to the document include: Fons S.A.N Angwafor of Mankon, Sehm Mbinglo of Nso, Chafah Isaac of Bangolan and Fon Ganyonga III of Bali. Their names do not feature on the list of current NOWEFU members that was tabled at the Mezam High Court in Bamenda on Wednesday July 8. The list was tabled by the counsel to the current NOWEFU President General, Fon Teche of Nguen-Muwa.

As a reminder, Fon Chafah, a former president of the union, had after consultations with some North West fons, dragged Fon Teche to the Mezam High Court in Bamenda for a redress of the crisis in NOWEFU.

Chafah and his faction of NOWEFU, made up of all five first class fons of the region, are hoping the court stops Teche from going ahead with his planned move to summon an extraordinary general assembly during which the union’s constitution would be changed. North West Fons who belong to the Chafah faction are also seizing the court to stop Teche from masquerading as NOWEFU President General.

However, when the matter came up for hearing on Wednesday, Fon Teche’s lawyer tabled to the court a list of NOWEFU members and it didn’t contain names of some 167 of the over 300 Fons who originally belonged to the union.

Teche’s lawyer prayed the court to throw out the case brought against his client by Fon Chafah. He tabled the list of current NOWEFU members to back Teche’s argument that Fon Chafah does not have the locus standi to sue him.

According to Teche, Chafah and many other North West fons whose names do not appear on the document are no longer members of the union.

Pertaining the document only 133 NOWEFU members of the over 300 who make up the union have been paying their yearly dues regularly.

Chafah and 166 others, Teche’s men told the Journal, have not paid a single franc as yearly-membership dues since Teche’s coming to the helm of NOWEFU in 2012.

“It is rather those who have not been paying their membership dues for over two years who have expelled themselves from NOWEFU and not the other way round. They have by that singular act expelled themselves from the union; even before members met in an important general assembly to confirm their complete expulsion,” a Teche-led faction member told the Journal.

Fon Chafah, however, debunked the claims. “Fon Teche and his bunch of supporters are surely trying to bite more than their mouths can chew. In the first place, in what capacity is Fon Teche filing that motion?” He asked. To Chafah, Teche is no longer the President General of NOWEFU; “Fon Teche’s mandate long expired on March 16, 2015” Chafah told our reporter.

It should be noted that an article of the NOWEFU constitution states amongst other things, that a member loses his membership of the union by failing to pay his annual membership dues.

Asked why he has not paid his dues for over three years, Chafah responded: “You want me to pay my contribution so that it would be unaccounted for like the money that was raised for the completion of the Fons’ secretariat? I would pay all my accrued membership dues to the last franc as soon as a trust-worthy NOWEFU leadership is elected.”

Fon Teche’s three-year mandate at the helm of NOWEFU, according to the union’s constitution is supposed to have ended on March 16. But he has refused to summon an elective general assembly; insisting that his own version of the NOWEFU constitution gives him powers to organize an elective general assembly only on November 28, 2015.

Even though his November 28 date has come under scathing criticism, Teche has insisted that he will summon the assembly during which decisions like the revision of NOWEFU constitution and expulsion of members who have not been paying yearly membership dues would be taken.

The Court scene

Meanwhile, at the hearing at Mezam High Court on Wednesday, the case generated a lot of 'fireworks' even though Teche was only represented. First, the court rejected a power of attorney he had granted Fon Akam Mac Thomas of Kai to represent him. The court argued that his power of attorney did not meet legal requirements.

Taking the floor, Barrister Anthony Amazee made a mockery of chiefs who had shown up in court on the side of Teche. Amazee referred to them as quarter heads and said Fon Teche has been parading themselves as Fons whereas they’re not. However, he won’t ask the court to throw them out. He asked rather that the court let them stay and follow the proceedings as observers and not as traditional rulers.

He told the court that out of the 133 members who are on Fon Teche’s list as current NOWEFU members, not up to 15% have even been granted gazettes as third class Fons. He pleaded that Fon Teche’s list be thrown out.

He also argued that even the stamp which Fon Teche’s document carries is not that of NOWEFU. “The stamp on this document does not carry the NOWEFU logo,” Amazee told the court.

The case was adjourned to July 22 during which it will rule if Fon Chafah has the locus standi to sue Fon Teche or not. Chafah who stormed the court with eight renowned lawyers; led by Barristers Henry Kemende and Anthony Amazee was accompanied to Wednesday’s hearing by the Fons of Bafut, Bafmen (former NOWEFU presidents general), Fons of Bamessing, Mbot, Binka, Njong and delegations from the Fons of Nso and Bali.

Most of the lawyers appearing for Fon Chafah’s faction told reporters that they were offering their services for free so as to help restore the image of the once-respected custodians of North West tradition.