Has Biya deliberately withheld retirement of some SDOs?

A reliable source has hinted The Cameroon Journal that some civil administrators popularly known as D.Os and SDOs already due retirement but which President Paul Biya failed to replace in recent appointments were deliberately maintained for purpose of the scheduled 2018 presidential election.

President Biya, it would be recalled, on April 5, signed separate presidential decrees appointing new senior divisional officers, SDOs, and divisional officers, DOs in divisions and sub-divisions across the country.

Our source, who opted not to be named, further told us that the about 17 SDOs due retirement, and who were not sacked, will only be retired after the 2018 presidential election when they would have “helped” Biya secure another mandate.

The source revealed that in advising the president before the appointments, the Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization, Rene Emmanuel Sadi, told Biya that it would be inappropriate to appoint young and inexperienced civil administrators just leaving ENAM and whose loyalty he cannot trust to manage certain municipalities during the election.

Sadi is reported to have reminded Biya that the said old civil administrators, who have been in office for long, have a mastery of the grassroots dynamics during municipal, legislative and presidential elections.

The recent appointments, it should be noted, came on the heels of widespread speculations that some of the SDOs and DOs said to be long ripe for retirement would be sent on deserved rest.

However, it was less so as most of them were either maintained in their respective duty posts or were simply transferred elsewhere.

Fako SDO, Zang III, his colleague of Meme division, Koulbot David Aman as well as Kupe Muanenguba SDO , Handerson Quetong Kongue, for instance, had been tipped as administrators in the South West region who were due retirement. Yet, none of them was touched in the recent appointments.

It was same fate for the SDOs in the North West region. Here, the likes of Bita Benoit Emvoutou Williams, Menchum SDO, Donga Mantung SDO, Mesape Bernard and Bui SDO, Nzeke Théophile were all conveniently maintained.

It was the same scenario in the Centre region where the SDO for Mfoundi, Jean Claude Tsila, already due retirement long ago, was maintained.

Meanwhile, we gathered that there is still mixed reaction within government circles since the 5 April appointments. It is reported that while some are rejoicing that their “manoeuvres” relating to the appointments actually worked, others are expressing disappointment over the non-appointment of some of their protégés.

It should be noted that civil administrators play a pivotal role in general elections in Cameroon. Section 54 of the electoral code, for instance, gives a divisional officer the power to appoint one member into the local polling commission during municipal, legislative and presidential elections.

According to section 64 of the same code, the senior divisional officer has the latitude to appoint up to three representatives of the administration to the divisional supervisory commission. And the divisional supervisory commission is very crucial as it is responsible for “ensuring the smooth conduct of election preparation and election operation proper”.