The UB Senate Commission created to review the fraudulent academic certificates of Mayor Ekema Patrick Esunge has been desecrated by a supposed Court ruling in Buea. The University of Buea Senate had earlier come to a conclusion that the Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees of Mr Mayor, Ekema Patrick be revoked. The decision has been sent to the Minister of Higher Education who is part of Mayor’s Ekema CPDM Cabal- while pending the signature of Fame Ndongo, another political Cabal, this time the Buea High court had that decision challenged and halted the withdrawal process as Mr Mayor through his lead counsel called on Justice Kenneth Ako Tanyi at the Buea High to wade into it. Justice Ako on April 16, ruled on it and banned both parties from making pronouncements on the issue. This move only tells us why Southern Cameroons must go so that the Judiciary becomes free from these Cameroun misfits who manned our court systems.

Ekema Patrick, the CPDM Mayor threw his political weight and deployed his lawyers to plead his case in open court. Barristers Nkea Emmanuel, Legenju Vitalise, Edward Lyonga Ewule and Ebi Stanley were all part of Ekema’s legal team. Sadly enough, most of these Barristers are UB graduates. We think sometimes as a matter of conscience, lawyers can refuse a particular case. It is not only about the money because the very move of this Mayor desecrates the alma mater of these Barristers who suffered to be a lawyer

The University of Buea and the State of Cameroun were collectively the respondents on this particular matter. According to court filings, the University of Buea which is the first respondent had based its findings on publication made by ”The Rambler” newspaper and UB upon the withdrawal of Ekema’s BA and MA in History, didn’t grace him the opportunity to respond.

The Buea High Court observes that a ”serious breach” of Ekema’s right for there was no time a hearing was conducted during the time such publications were made by The Rambler. The court says it will be unacceptable for ”any person” to be condemned without a fair hearing. Going as far as mentioning a breach of Natural Rules of Justice if that were to happen.

Citing section 113(1) of the Evidence Ordinance, the court held the presumption that any document believed to be a certificate is considered genuine as long as the submission of such a dossier is in strict compliance of the law. So the burden of proof lies on the University of Buea to demonstrate otherwise if such documents were forged taken into consideration Ekema’s rights.

In his ruling, the sitting judge Kenneth Ako Tanyi ordered an injunction for a 48 hour period for a ”motion of notice” to be submitted while at the same issuing a gag order preventing agents of the University from making any public statements or proceeding with the withdrawal of Ekema’s academic certificates until the court rules otherwise.

It should be noted that the Registrar of the GCE Board who is the custodian of all certificates had himself established publicly that Ekema’s Ordinary and Advance Level Certificates were fake and it was on this basis that UB admitted Ekema into the University of Buea. The South West Human Rights Commission headed by Mr Tambe Tiku, a government owned commission has been on this matter. The University of Buea Senate as the highest Academic body of the University has jurisdiction and can revoke certificates of its past students if it is established that the said student accorded it fraudulently. The Buea court basing its arguments that UB never heard Ekema’s own side of the story is laughable. That three government institutions (UB, GCE Board, South West Human Rights commission) are on the same page, it is pitiful that the Buea court has been influenced politically by Governor Okalai Bilai, colonial Governor of South West, the Mayor himself is shame to all students of UB. We at this platform now guess UB Senate should start inviting all students (past and present) to attend senate meetings to answer their case.

The move by the court only harms the reputation of UB. The regime is only interested in protecting its cabal against any moral and rightful standing. BaretaNews is following this development carefully. It never ends

Neba Benson,

BaretaNews Foreign Correspondent/Analyst