Ahead of the much awaited Bar Council election slated for January 31 2015, in what appears to be a new twist in the ongoing campaign, there has been a massive mobilization of lawyers from all over the North West Region to ensure that Barrister Sama Francis Asanga is given the second mandate as Bar Council President.
This was witnessed on Tuesday January 20 2015 when Barrister Sama Francis Asanga organized a campaign meeting to address some of the worries of the lawyers in the region. The meeting which held at a popular Bamenda restaurant which all the candidates for the elections have made their campaign ground, was attended by close to 200 lawyers with several of the top brass of the Cameroon Bar Association in Bamenda in attendance.
Addressing his colleagues, Barrister Sama Francis Asanga pointed out that his administration has done much for the association including the organization of the Bar examinations and the swearing in of hundreds of young lawyers, with a good number of them being of common law extraction, the purchase of a piece of land in Yaounde for the construction of a permanent secretariat which will also host a 100 room hotel and the advancement of efforts of the creation of a law school in Cameroon.
On the issue of the law school, he further explained that though it will not be set up in a purely Anglo-Saxon style, it will have its Cameroonian particularities and will go a long way to address many of the worries of the lawyers. One of this peculiarities, he said is that the students may not write Bar exams but may still have to do pupilage. He concluded by saying this will be a reality in the days ahead.
On the issue of the “new generation” lawyers, Barrister Sama Francis begged for forgiveness from anyone he has wronged in the exercise of his duties. He pleaded that if given another chance he would do better especially for the young lawyers. The learned man of the law, elegantly dressed in sky blue suit was about to lay prostrate on the floor of the restaurant to make his point when the crowd of lawyers said no and that they will go ahead and re-elect him, and that his action could constitute an abomination for the younger generation.
Enter Ngnie Kamga
No sooner had Barrister Sama Francis finished his campaign, than another candidate, Ngnie Kamga accompanied by the immediate past Bar Council President, Eta Besong Junior stormed the same Bamenda restaurant on Thursday January 22.Though they were faced with a less impressive crowd of less than 50 lawyers, their message was that six lawyers of Common Law extraction have been Bar Council president as against five for those of the civil law extraction.
According to them therefore, it was logical for Ngnie Kamga to be voted to strike the balance. Also spotted at this meeting were adherent of the “new generation” lawyers camp like the hitherto Batonnier’s representative for the North West, Barrister Kenmende Henry Gamsey who was campaigning more for himself than Ngnie Kamga
