Race to succeed Foning at Douala V Council intensifies

Today marks 69 days since the death of Francoise Foning, Douala V mayor hence the post of mayor in that council remains vacant.

Going by the law, once a vacancy is declared, elections are supposed to be held within 60 days to elect a new mayor. Though the election date is yet to be announced, aspirants for the job have started engaging in series of secret meetings to lay strategies to enable them emerge winners at the end.

The Cameroon Journal learnt that some ten Councilors including all six deputy mayors are nursing ambitions to contest for the post. Former D.O of Douala V Jeanneaux Tamandjo and the son of the late Mayor Salomon Tsobgny have also shown interest in replacing Foning in the Douala V council.

The ruling CPDM party which enjoys a relative majority with 43 Councilors out of 61 elected during the 2013 municipal elections will have the pride of producing a new mayor.

This however, has not been easy to come by as infighting, witch-hunting and tribal politics are said to be the order of the day as aspirants try to outsmart each other.

Individuals and groups are secretly lobbying through the CPDM Central Committee Secretariat to get their candidates retained for election. The tussle for supremacy has even gone tribal with the Bamilekes, Betis and Bassas stating reasons why the new mayor should come from these three tribes.

The Douala V municipality is in the Bassa land, but most of its occupants are Bamilekes. The Bassa people claim that the post of Mayor in the Council has never been occupied by an indigene, thus it should be their turn.

The Bamilekes assert that since the late mayor was one of them, another Bamileke should complete her term of office. The Beti group led by 5th deputy Mayor Marie Louise Ngono Nlomo Obama and alternate senator, Marceline Zogo, who were very close collaborators to Foning before her demise think a woman ought to replace her.

According to the law, Councilors of all five political parties that presently constitute the Douala V council will vote through secret ballot to choose the new mayor. The five political parties that are represented in the Douala V council following the 2013 polls are; CPDM, SDF, MRC, UPC and PADDEC.

The opposition SDF with 8 Councilors on its part is crying foul at the non-respect of article 60 of the text on decentralisation which stipulates that in case of relative majority whereby the council is shared, at least one of the deputies should be from the runner up party.

Elibi Lobe, SDF Councilor in Douala V says the text was not respected in constituting the council executive in 2013 and is asking that authorities intervene to ensure the law is implemented.

As the struggle continues, the people of Douala V municipality can only but hope for a new mayor who has a vision for development like Foning did.