Buea Mayor Slams For Abusing Office- Human Rights Commissioner

Christopher Tambe Tiku, the Regional Secretary of the National Commission of Human Rights and Freedoms, has petitioned the Mayor of Buea, Patrick Esunge Ekema, on his (Ekema’s) “highhandedness” against citizens of Buea.

The memo No RCH221/NCHRF/SWB/RS/RAP/16 of June 30, 2016 titled: “Abuse Of Office By You Against Individuals Of Your Municipality,” reads: “We are compelled to write to you because of your unavailability and characteristic disregard for state institutions. All attempts to reach you by telephone have been futile.” The memo is copied to the Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation, the Governor of the Southwest Region, the SDO of Fako, the Attorney General (SWR), the State Counsel, Buea,

The Mayor arbitrarily suspended the salaries of Mbua Elizabeth Ngowo, Monono Hans Manga and Bissong Dickson Tanyi,. These guys have unduly deprived of their salaries for 11, eight and four months, respectively. Their only crime is that the Mayor’s list was rejected during the re-organisation of basic organs of the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement, CPDM. The Mayor then went witch hunting.

The mayor still uses the municipal police to brutalise them whenever they attempt to enter the Council premises. It is on record that these “victims” have served 27, 17 and 18 years, respectively, as staff of the Council.” How can the Mayor, who is not even up to the ages of these persons, who just joined the Council because an election was stolen from the people and handed to him could treat his workers that way?

Tambe Tiku observed that the Mayor’s action “… is not only an abuse of their fundamental rights to work and earn a wage but goes contrary to Dicey’s Principle for the respect of the rule of law, which rule requires that governments and their agents like you, should only use powers clearly defined by statute or the common law and that they should be restricted from using arbitrary or discretionary powers to interfere with the liberty of individuals.

The mayor still goes around harassing these victims and their private properties, using his authority to witch-hunt them. The governor of the SWR must step in.

This is a mayor who is so full with highhandedness. Who uses council funds as he deems fit. He was recently seen in a hotel room with a “prostitute” whose picture went viral on Facebook. He recently offered a jeep to his ” American baby” mother after using council resources to thronged the airport to receive his wife and son thereby stalling council activities for the day. Yet, he goes around bullying Council workers, to the extent of suspending their salaries. How can this even happen? What type of regime is this where there is no rule of law? The human right office should do something to bring the Mayor to order. We of BaretaNews stand with these victims.

God is still saying something.