SDF: Militants accuse Mayor Moukondo of blocking opponents

SDF militants in Tiko have hurled accusations at their current Electoral District Chair, Mayor Daniel Moukondo, for trying to block anyone trying to challenge his bid for re-election.

But Moukondo has dismissed the accusations as baseless and has said he is very open to anyone who wants to challenge him in the election, which has been slated for November 8.

Talking to The Post on November 3, Moukondo averred: “I like competition. I am running for the position of District Chairman and I like somebody to challenge me. I don’t want a one-man election which will look as though it was a pre-planned affair. Anybody who wants to aspire for any position should feel free,” Moukondo said.

But his position that he is open for a free election is contrary to the views of his major challenger for the post of District Chair, Joseph Bah Anib and his sympathisers.

Their ire against the Mayor went to boiling point on November 1, when Bah and his sympathisers were chased away at Misselele by the DO of Tiko. They had gathered to hold a rally prior to the November 8 elections.

The militants told The Post, November 8 that DO Patrick Ngwashi stormed their rally grounds accompanied by State security officers who chased them away and arrested their candidate for the post Chairman, BahAnib.

Bah, who is also a Parliamentary hopeful for 2018, was taken to the Tiko Police Station where he was detained, but later released.

The DO is said to have charged them for holding a public gathering without any prior authorisation. But Bah’ssympathisers told The Post that Mayor Moukondo had, on October 31, informed them that he had already secured an authorisation from the DO, which was enough for them to go on with their campaigns.

“We had a rally today at Misselele, but the DO came and disrupted it and arrested our candidate on the excuse that we do not have an authorisation. But the Mayor had already informed us, yesterday, that he already obtained one,” a disgruntled SDF militant, EmerenciaBih, said.

“I never told anybody I had obtained an authorisation. I was given directives by the Regional Chairman, George Likiye, to obtain an authorisation for this particular election on a particular day with a defined time frame,” Moukondo argued.

He showed The Post the Regional Chair’s circular letter defining the modalities for the elections.

Article 1 of the circular reads: “All current District Chairmen should arrange the various meeting venues and should ensure that they notify the Divisional Officers of their towns about the meetings.”

Article 4 states that; “all elections should start by 10:00am and end by 5:00pm.”

Moukondo said he has applied for an authorisation from the DO of Tiko, but only for the day of the elections.

He faulted Bah and his sympathisers for having violated the rule by going out for campaigns on a motorcade, armed with a public address system and without any authorisation from the DO.

But Bah said the Mayor never made anything known to them about theRegional Chairman’s directives.

Another militant, a resident of Likomba, Bill Forbin, indictedMoukondo for having lost touch with militants and has become more close to the CPDM than the SDF militants.

Moukondo, in response, said he even has information that the CPDM, in their political scheme to retake Tiko from the SDF, was trying to buy off some of his opponents, sponsor them to win elections so that they will easily penetrate and take back Tiko from the SDF in 2018.

“Does it mean that Fru Ndi, too, who greeted Paul Biya is drifting towards the CPDM? And does it also mean that as I received Paul Biya at the Tiko Airport, I have now drifted towards the CPDM,”Moukondoasked rhetorically.

He declared that he was very much in touch with his militants and his relationship with them was unwavering. He stated that he was going to ensure a very level field, come the day of the elections, because, he is very sure of winning, given the support he still has with the militants.

Moukondo averred that he wanted to win again and carry the winning spirit of the SDF in Tiko to other towns in Fako so that by 2018, the CPDM will, effectively, be swept off in the entire Division.

But, Bah and his sympathisers hold that, if there shall be a free, fair and transparent ballot, then, they will give Moukondo a run for his money. They argue that Moukondo should contain himself with the position of Mayor and allow someone else take the position of District Chair.