Rebellious SDF Mayors, Councilors to Rethink Positions

Crucial on the agenda of the National Executive Committee (NEC) session of the opposition, SDF party on October 26, 2013 was how to deal with councilors in Tubah and Kumba II who voted against the party's choice of candidates for Mayors. The stakes were high ahead of the session and curtains later dropped with NEC standing by an earlier decision of the Investiture Committee which challenged the rebellious councilors and their Mayors to rethink their positions or submit themselves to the axe of Article 8.2 of the party's constitution which prescribes self exclusion from the party.

Away from that, the conduct and performance of the SDF during the September 30, 2013 twin elections preoccupied NEC members. The National Chairman of the SDF, Ni John Fru Ndi was in the chair, in his Ntarinkon residence when the NEC session started with some Ministers of the church invited to offer special prayers for the Holy Spirit to accompany the new team of SDF MPs, Mayors and councilors through the next term. It was also a rare moment for NEC to commune with newly elected Members of the National Assembly and mayors. It was against this backdrop that Fru Ndi prescribed team work in order to excel in parliamentary and council work.

The National Executive Committee also checked and balanced the performance of the party at the twin elections with revelations that the party received FCFA 130 million from State coffers during the campaigns and distributed the money to parliamentary candidates and aspirants for municipal elections. On what went right and wrong with the party during the campaigns ahead of the twin elections, reports blamed some SDF District chair persons for greed and impunity in the selection of candidates which jeopardized the chances of the party for more seats in parliament and councils. It also emerged from the session that Chairman, Fru Ndi will accompany the party's MPs to Yaoundé for final blessings before they officially take up seats in the National Assembly. The party's Secretary General was saluted for fetching victory as the new Scribe of the Women's Academy for Africa, a Socialist International instrument that empowers women.