We have been told by the Sun Newspaper that the June session of Parliament would finally see the amendments of the Constitution after so many months of speculation. We are also told that the bill would seek to amend article 6 (3) of the constitution to give the President powers to call early presidential polls. The bill is also expected to touch on the reduction of mandates from the current seven years unlimited terms, to five years with the precision, “renewable once.”, the introduction of a single ballot for all the candidates in presidential elections, the widely-clamoured two-round voting system practiced in most democracies around the world and the re-introduction of the post of Vice President. The form in which the state takes would also see great changes after this revision.
John Fru Ndi, leader of Cameroon’s main opposition SDF party in March 2016 had declared that he will lead a civil war in Cameroon should 85-year old President Biya who has been in power for some 34 years, call early presidential elections as he is being urged to. The 74-year-old Fru Ndi made the declaration to the media, during a visit he paid the family of 31-year old Monique Kouamteke who died alongside her unborn as a result of neglect outside the Douala Laquintinie hospital. Reporters who covered the event quoted Fru Ndi as saying “If he (President Biya) ‘anticipates’ elections, he is calling for civil war and when the civil war comes, I will fight because I am a shooter.”
Fru Ndi warned President Biya not to declare war in the country and then escape to live in another man’s country. BaretaNews noted that Fru Ndi’s threat of violence is, however, not the first he has made. When Senate elections were announced to take place on April 14, 2013, he swore he was going to “tell my boys to sharpen their machetes…I think they want war…”
Fru Ndi is well known to be making political threats that he never see it through. Are these threats made to force the hands of Mr. Biya to dick deep into his packets? On May 26th, 2016 during the SDF 25th birthday, the SDF chieftain announced the SDF convention for February 2017. The only reason Fru Ndi gave was that the party needs to prepare for any surprises. Is Fru Ndi telling the Cameroons people that the SDF is preparing for early elections should Biya call for it? Is Mr . Fru Ndi going back at his own words again?
Recently, Joshua Osih, first National Vice President was asked last week about the SDF stance on Constitutional change. He responded by saying that the ruling CPDM government has not tabled any such bill. That everything was just rumour and that he was not going to comment on a rumour.
That was a good response from the MP. Now that it seems it’s no longer a rumour, can Hon Joshua Osih and Fru Ndi tells Biya, SDF militants and Cameroonians the stance of the SDF? The SDF must speak now. The SDF must not hide away. They should speak to the Cameroons people.
Everything being equal, looking at the present political situation, it seems Biya will sail through with his constitutional plans with a muted Fru Ndi and SDF. Can Fru Ndi declare war?
God is still saying something.
