US citizen declared chief of Small Soppo Wovilla amid protest

In the Wovilla village consultative talks that started sometime in 2015 and ended on the 1st of April 2016 with the questionable election of one Dr. Augustine Evella Kange, the controversial chief, as opposed to Njoh Lyonga Stephen, the rightful ascendant to the throne, chaos broke out between the Kange and Lyonga families reported to have been descendants from a common grandfather and family tree.

The reports gotten were that the chieftaincy stool has been rotatory between these two families from time immemorial which has been a system that their common ancestors had always respected. Sampling the opinions of some participants on the issue, the problem germinated from the aggressive and greedy quest of some members of the Kange’s family to destroy this ancestral pattern using a “will” that was challenged, said to have been given by their late father, the former chief. The stool has been vacant for one decade. During this period, so much water has gone under the bridge.

Following a report given on the past consultative talks, three king makers were needed for the selection of the chief. Two had been officially gotten from other two main families that originated from Wovilla but there was a tie in the part of the royal family which posed a problem to facilitate the selection. Tension broke out when one of the kingmakers, Mr. Marcus Mongombe, was legally knocked out and disqualified by the Divisional Officer of Buea, following evidence brought out by Barrister Koko Ikome from the Lyonga’s royal family in a bid to defend and proclaim her right.

Quoting the exact words from one of the respondents, “the knock out of the king maker just supported one of the fraudulent actions that had been publicly revealed throughout the consultative talks and this had to automatically put an end to the rivalry among the royal family as have been observed in other consultations”.

The tension was additionally heightened when the three officially recognised king makers were duplicated in a split of seconds into six by the Divisional Officer of Buea for reasons which are unknown and without any specific criteria and justification.

In an attempt to object the unjustified procedure, the Lyonga family were seriously shunned and prohibited to object the decision by the Divisional Officer of Buea.

Reports were also given that some three village elders; the village chair, Mr. Marcus Mongombe, the ambitious fraudulent family head of Mwangai, who was exposed and one other whose identity was not revealed, were the main perpetrators and orchestrators of this bizarre action and dispute, splitting a once loving and united royal family who respected each other’s ruling turns for their selfish interest. Scandalously, Dr. Augustine Evella Kange, married to an American lady with American children who have never been to Cameroon, wants to steal the stool because it is not their turn has surprisingly lived in Cameroon for three months because of chieftain title. He has never lived here for up to two months over the last 30 years of stay in America.

Some rhetorical questions to ask are as follows;

a) Does the purported chief-elect know the people and village he wants to rule?

b) Does he understand the boundaries of his village?

c) Do the people know their ruler?

d) Does he know the tradition and customs of the Bakweris?

e) Can he trace his family lineage unaided?

f) Shall he rule the community from abroad?

The answer to the above is certainly a big NO.

The main objective of consultative talks is to create a serene atmosphere, love and unity among the leaders, their subjects and the administration but it is the contrary in this case.

It remains absolutely absurd that the tradition of the Bakweris on chieftaincy has been punctured and altered leaving many families, villages and destinies in chaos, instability and disunity due to the quest for power, material and financial gains. The need to review this state of affairs across the community is a cause for concern and needs to be redressed in our society and urgently too.

The said Dr. Augusttine Evella Kange had long prior to the talks been published as chief on the web site WWW.FakoNewsCentre.com. There is thus no doubt that the occasion in question was an intentional routine and necessary drama that had to be fulfilled in order to blindfold onlookers.

Another school of thought holds that the D.O might have been misled by some members of his entourage whom he frequently consulted in the course of the final negotiations during the last minutes before the elections. He constantly whispered to and also paid heed to whispers from them which possibly caused him to move away from his original position of truth, justice and respect for the tradition.

In order for peace and justice to reign and restore confidence in the subjects, it is hoped that the exercise will be reviewed and the right king makers allowed to choose their leader to whom the community will pay allegiance.

While waiting in ernest for God’s intervention, the Lyonga family, observers and villagers of good will who have the development of the village at heart pray and hope that justice will not only be done, but will be seen to be done in the interest of all and sundry.