Paul Ayah optimistic despite crises plaguing PAP

The National President of the Popular Action Party (PAP), former People’s Action Party, says his party will remain strong and indivisible despite the recent attacks and challenges plaguing the party. Honorable Justice Ayah Paul Abine made the reassuring remark on Saturday, June 11, 2016, during a press conference in Buea.

According to the PAP National Chairman, Albert Mukwelle Ngoh, Apack Takor and Ekambi Mukwelle Alphonse (recently expelled members of the PAP), are “Hungry Kumba Boys” seeking to secure public compassion.

He told press men that the present party leadership would in its maturity and compassionate disposition reconsider its decision expelling these dissident elements but this will be only after “the misguided hungry boys would have repented their sins and borrowed a leaf from the prodigal son”.

It should be noted that these three expelled members of the PAP had earlier published a communiqué sacking Hon. Ayah Paul Abine from the PAP. They accused Hon. Ayah Paul of mismanaging party funds, single-handedly running the affairs of the PAP and changing the headquarters of the PAP party from Kumba to Buea.

On this backdrop therefore, the Advocate General of the Supreme Court of Cameroon called the press conference to clear the air on these issues; most importantly hush some local newspapers that published information suggesting that he was under investigation for alleged embezzlement of party funds.

Ayah Paul rubbished the reports of these journalists promising to take legal action against some of them.

Hear him; “No career journalist, much less a professional one, would publish such trash as three miserable individuals calling a press conference and purporting to expel a member from a party, let alone when such member is the head of a party”.

Senior PAP party members at Saturday’s press conference, notably Ako Abunaw, PAP’s permanent campaign manager, added his voice to that of the national chairman, stating that “there is not and there was never such thing as embezzlement. If Ayah was interested in money, he should have fallen prey to the sundry traps of the government in power”.

He revealed that Ayah Paul and he have on several occasions refused collecting colossal sums of money from the CPDM that aimed at buying them over.

Asked when, why and how the party name was changed from People’s Action Party to Popular Action Party, Hon. Justice Ayah Paul Abine said; “I do not know the interest in this question. We have no reasons for doing so. We just decided to change the name because we thought ‘Popular’ is better”.

“The PAP is not like the CPDM who use money from the state coffers without accountability and legal procedures.”- Ayah Paul blasted, noting that the PAP is the lone political party in Cameroon that sponsored single-handedly; that is by Ayah alone.

“The fact that i have gone for 17 months without salary from the CPDM government; the fact that even prominent PAP members could not raise as little as FCFA 50.000 for their candidacies at the 2013 municipal elections only explains the recent problems of the party.

Ayah said because he had to continue sponsoring the party alone this has led to the collapse of all his businesses including notably the Buea-based popular snack bar, “Bakassi na Cameroon”.

Asked to comment on the SCNC struggle, Justice Ayah Paul said: “There is not, there has never been a legal document between Southern Cameroons and La Republique du Cameroun in reunification. SCNC is doing a great job which I appreciate.”

He likewise advised SCNC strongholds and members to get to work so that their long fight won’t be in vain.

“The SCNC has lost a sense of direction, but is more interested in getting positions. Let all factions that make up the SCNC come together, educate and sensitize Southern Cameroonians; should this be done, then they could succeed. We must clean our house,” he ended.

Also in attendance at the press conference were, Mr. Caspa Franklin- PAP North West Regional Representative, Mme Ekabe Anita Besumbu- 1st National Vice President, Dr. Ernest Folefac- Lead Legal National Secretary and the Secretary General Akoson Raymond.