The Bakundu Chiefs Conference that has been in conflict with the Bakundu Cultural and Development Union, BACDU, has been dissolved, pending the drafting of a new Constitution and a Prefectural Order to legalize the association.
The action was taken by the Senior Divisional Officer, SDO for Meme, David Aman Koulbout, on Thursday, April 30, after a meeting between Bakundu Chiefs, BACDU representatives and the Meme administration that took place at his Kumba office, following instructions from the Presidency of the Republic.
According to Koulbout, there is no such association as Bakundu Chiefs Conference, given that it lacks legal and administrative documents, unlike BACDU.
Despite brandishing a draft Constitution of the Chiefs Conference deposited at the SDO’s Office on April 30, 2015, by its President, Chief David Motase Ngoh, the administrator said the document lacked the backing of the Bakundu Chiefs.
He added that the same document was still being studied and so could not be used as a working document governing the Chiefs Conference.
The SDO equally rubbished attacks and counter attacks from both sides of the divide, stating that they were baseless, uncalled for.
New Constitution To Be Drafted, Elections Conducted
Chief Rudolf Duala Itoe of Bombe Bakundu, the elder brother of the BACDU President, Benjamin Itoe, has been tasked with drafting a new Constitution for the Chiefs Conference. He is assisted by Chiefs Frederick Elonge Motanga and Graham Opunde Mesodi.
The Chief of Bombe Bakundu has also been tasked with conducting fresh elections and submitting the new Chiefs’ Conference executive to the administration.
The Bombe traditional ruler won the appointment on account of being the eldest Chief in Bakundu land, while Elonge came in as the youngest. Oponde was designated by the SDO.
Deliberations leading to the decision created confusion as many Chiefs claimed they were born in the 1940s. Surprisingly, others such as Chief Samuel Ndome, who had disclosed earlier in the same meeting that he was 77 years old, raised a national identity card indicating that he was also born in 1940.
Two other Chiefs born in 1940, missed the opportunity of heading the new Commission because their identification cards lacked the day and month of their birth, while Itoe’s read January 1, 1940.
BACDU TO Be SeparatedFrom Chiefs Conference
The SDO sustained during the conclave that, there must be a clear cut distinction between BACDU and the Chiefs’ Conference. Koulbout averred that “nobody can be above a Chief.”
On the confusion between the Chiefs being an Advisory organ of BACDU, the SDO called for a review of the BACDU Constitution to spell out those Chiefs who are in the Committee and the roles they are expected to play in the union.
“BACDU should not play a role as if they are above the Chiefs. You cannot have a cultural association without the assistance of the Chiefs,” Koulbout stated.
Motase Frowns At ‘Chiefs Betrayal For CDC Contracts’
Meanwhile, talking to reporters after the meeting, Chief Motase said he was happy with the administrative savvy with which the matter was handled. He saluted the call for the separation of powers between the Chiefs’ Union and the elite association.
He, however, lamented that, he got reports that the Chiefs denied most of the decisions they took in public on account of promises made by some individuals that, they would be given contracts at the Cameroon Development Cooperation, CDC, where Benjamin Itoe is Board Chair.
Court Action Looms Over Motase
Despite the decisions arrived at, the bickering is far from over, as some Chiefs claimed innocence regarding the appearance of their signatures on the document Chief Motase made public on April 9,2015, purportedly dismissing Benjamin Itoe.
The Post learnt that, some of the Chiefs have flooded the Meme Legal Department with complaints, while police investigations are still underway.
