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The recent election of Joshua Osih as the SDF flag bearer for the 2018 presidential elections has created immense and unprecedented curiosity in Cameroon’s political landscape ever since the advent of multiparty politics in the country.
Joshua Osih, was elected presidential candidate for SDF during the SDF convention that took place over the weekend in Bamenda.
1021of the total number of delegates that partook in the historic convention voted for Joshua Osih, representing 88.39% success rate while his lone contester Hon Forbi Nchinda Simon had 134 votes cast for his candidature, representing just 11.6% of the total votes cast. Hon. Joshua Osih, thus emerged as the flag bearer of the SDF with an overwhelming majority. Hon. Joseph Mbah Ndam who had also indicated his intention to contest for the party’s ticket as candidate in the presidential elections, pulled out of the race 30 minutes to the election citing personal reasons.
In his address during the convention, Joseph Mbah Ndam was bitter at the atrocities committed by military personnel while trying to deal with the Anglophone crisis.
He categorically condemned the atrocities committed by the Cameroonian military in the Anglophone regions of the North West and South West Regions, namely in Kwakwa, Kombone, Mamfe, Akwaya, Belo, Tardu, Jakiri, Mbiim, Tongfeh etc. “Soldiers of a nation can't be used in such a manner that contravenes the very constitution that is quoted by the soldiers that they want to defend,” he said. Osih Joshua aged 49 is a dynamic business operator, perfectly bilingual and the kind of candidate that exhibits youthful exuberance and charm aimed at causing a stir in the elections as a big threat to the political ambition of the present leadership.
He has often been seen as the best successor of John Fru Ndi who has run for 3 presidential elections and every such contests, he comes out second thus giving the SDF the status of the main opposition party in Cameroon that it currently enjoys.
Now that Joshua Osih has been elected as SDF flag bearer, all eyes are now gazing at the ruling CPDM party whose date for elective congress to elect its own flag bearer yet to be known.
The last congress of the CPDM party took place in September 2011, during which president Paul Biya was designated as the presidential candidate of the ruling party for the 2011 presidential elections.
According to the party’s constitution, another congress was supposed to have been organized in September 2016, considering that the 5 year mandate of its current chairman came to an end that year but that congress never took place.
Sources within the party are speculating that the congress may hold in September this year to choose the flag bearer of that party for the 2018 presidential elections.
However, the chairman of that party who has the power to set a date for congress has not said anything with respect to that. But, President Paul Biya has always been a man full of surprises and can at any moment, set the date for the congress which will determine who will run for the party, most political pundits have said.
So far, only one militant of the party has indicated interest to challenge Paul Biya within the CPDM party. He is Saint Eloi Bidoung, one of the deputy mayors of the Yaoundé VI Council. He said Biya is too old to steer the ship of the party effectively.
He has been telling reporters in Yaoundé that he is not only young and energetic, but that he also has the intellectual and mental alertness to make the CPDM great again.
He told the press in 2016 that although the CPDM passes for a democratic party, he is already paying a big price for mustering the courage to challenge the incumbent chair.
For now, no other person has indicated interest to challenge Biya and the date of the congress is also not known yet.
All eyes are now on the party to see if it’s going to hand over leadership of the party to younger generation or at least choose a younger person to represent the party at the 2018 presidential elections. FHM
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