Buea: 4th Deputy mayor faces tribunal for “treason”

It is now just a matter of time for the fourth deputy mayor of the Buea municipality to get a “no confidence vote” from the college of councilors of the municipality.

Dr. Mrs Ojongnkpot has been publicly indicted by a sweeping majority of the 35 councilors of the municipality for gross misconduct, insubordination, taking the laws into her hands and outright treason. This was during a stormy council session on April 28,2016.

Proceeding under the watchful eyes of the SDO for Fako, Zang III, the ordinary session had as main agenda to examine and adopt the Administrative, Management and Stores Accounts of the council for the 2015 financial year.

But the deliberations that had gone on smoothly, suddenly turned stormy; and this was when the floor was open for other matters. Taking the floor, one of the councilors sought to know whether the Mayor’s query to the 4th deputy mayor had been answered by the latter. The Mayor wanted the 4th deputy mayor, Dr. Mrs. Ojongnkpot to answer charges of disrespect and insubordination.

We gathered that during the women’s day celebrations in Buea, on March 8,2016 Mrs Ojongnkpot without the mayor’s fiat, took upon herself to represent the council at the official ceremonies at the grandstand at Bongo Square. She headily refused to relinquish her seat to the 2nd deputy mayor who was designated by the mayor to represent him on the occasion.

Mrs Ojongnkpot was also accused of committing the unforgivable offence of openly and publicly disgracing the mayor, when she told Mayor Patrick Ekema to his face and in public that she would not give up her seat at the grandstand to the 2nd deputy mayor. She argued that as the only woman among the four mayors, she should logically be the one to represent the council at the women’s day event.

It took the Governor’s instruction and the intervention of law enforcement officers for Mrs. Ojongnkpot to give the seat to the 2nd deputy mayor, we can reveal.

Then as if that was not enough, she also got up from her new seat and joined the queue that had lined up to welcome the governor when he arrived at the ceremonial ground at Bongo Square.

That was why, taking the floor during the council session, the 2nd deputy mayor, Efande, said Mrs. Ojongnkpot had proven beyond reasonable doubt that she was not a team player. He moved a motion that the lady be compelled to publicly apologize to the mayor and the councilors for her volte-face. Efande’s suggestion was supported by most of the other councilors at the session.

But another councilor, Barrister John Kameni, said an apology was not enough as sanction for the crime committed by the 4th deputy mayor. To him the 4th deputy mayor’s defiance is tantamount to an attempted Côup D’etat. Barrister Kameni said Mrs. Ojongnkpot must be made to pay the ultimate price for ‘treason’. He suggested that Mrs. Ojongnkpot be summarily dismissed from her office as the 4th deputy mayor of the council. This suggestion by the Barrister was greeted by a thunderous applause from the councilors.

When Mrs. Ojongnkpot finally took the floor to defend herself, she sounded rather unapologetic and remorseless.

“I could see you people coming. You have kept stopping me from talking because you don’t want me to expose the truth. Since November in this council, i have been treated like a rag; the Mayor refuses to accept my greetings. There were moments when I drove to the council but was refused entry. I had to walk into the council,” she revealed.

It should be mentioned that if the Mayor treated his 4th deputy the way she explained, it could be expected. This is because even before her volte-face on Women’s Day, Mrs. Ojongnkpot already had an axe to grind with the Mayor. She was believed to be part of the conspiracy that frustrated the mayor’s ambition of becoming the section president of CPDM Fako III, during the contested reorganization of basic organs of the party in Buea in November 2015.

It is said that Mrs. Ojongnkpot was a member of the committee assigned to scrutinize the lists of aspirants for the various offices during the reorganization, but she ganged up with the other members of the committee and made sure the mayor’s list was not entertained.

However, after the very emotional debates at the council session, characterized by the hitting of the table and the raising of voices, Mrs. Ojongnkpot finally accepted to tender her apologies to the Mayor.

“I am sorry Mr. Mayor. Please find a place in your heart and forgive me. I am ready to go on my knees just to ask for your forgiveness,” she said.

It could however not be easily deciphered whether or not her apology was sincere. It was also not immediately clear whether Mayor Ekema had accepted his 4th deputy’s apology and had decided to give her a second chance at the Council.

It should be pointed out that if Mrs. Ojongnkpot escaped a “no confidence vote” from the councilors, it was thanks to the SDO, who literally played the fire-fighting role. Zang III in his scripted remarks at the council session, emphasized on the need for peace and harmony to reign at the council.

However, many informed voices are already speculating that the imbroglio at the Buea council is far from over. They said it is likely the mayor would take the next available opportunity to flush out the 4th deputy from the council this, because in politics crimes like the one committed by Mrs. Ojongnkpot are rarely forgiven. This is because “in politics there are no permanent friends or permanent enemies, only permanent interests”.

With elections in 2018 fast approaching, the Mayor can not take the risk of keeping a disloyal collaborator at those very strategic moments. And ever since her volte-face at Bongo Square, and her role during the party reorganizations Mrs. Ojongnkpot is now seen more as a spy rather than a loyal and trust-worthy ally of the Mayor.