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The New Director General of Elections Cameroon (ELECAM) Erik Essousse, has continued his cleansing of the body charged with the management of elections while relatives of his predecessor Abdoulaye Babale, are linking his sacking to witchcraft and conspiracy.
On June 3, Ms. Amougou Pauline, Vice-President of the Electoral Council, proceeded to the installation of Essi Michelle Arlette, ELECAM’s new Regional Manager for the Center. The promoted replaces Ms. Ngo Yonn, Mekeme Michelle, relegated to the post of departmental head of Mbalmayo. This replacement is part of a series of changes made by the new executive of the body in charge of elections in Cameroon.
Since taking office, the new Director General, Erik Essousse, has undertaken a vast movement in the constitution of the teams of this institution. The most significant are those of the head of the Division of Administrative and Financial Affairs (Daaf) Mr. Tete Devert, replaced by the former Senior Divisional Officer of the Ocean Mr. Ngolle III Patrice. In the same division, the cashier, Mrs. Anavai Françoise Tagne, was replaced by Mrs. Ossubita Nee Akam Adele, previously head of the mail.
In the Computer, Electoral and Statistical Division, Mr. Bond Abdoul Aziz, a leader dismissed by Abdoulaye Babale has been appointed Division Head and Mr. Enow Dikson, a close associate of the Electoral Board President Enow Abrams Egbe, has been promoted to Technical Adviser Number 1. In addition, four heads of regional offices were also landed, including Ms. Ngo Yonn Epse Mekeme.
Within ELECAM, no official wishes to speak officially about the recent changes made by the new boss of the elections managing organ.
According to Journalducameroun.com, an anonymous source said that the different appointments are very discreet.
Among the relatives of former Director Abdoulaye Babale, there is a general and common believe that there was conspiracy and witchcraft against the former boss of ELECAM.
“It's a machination that started with unfounded accusations to dismiss the former director general,” said a relative of Babale, who however preferred anonymity.
"They considered Babale as an absentee Director General; meanwhile, he took part in all the sessions of the electoral council since 2015. The only session he did not attend is the last, and was summoned while on a mission to the north. And the whole council knew it,” the anonymous relative added.
The same source also rubbished the accusations of embezzlement of a sum of two billion CFA francs in purchase of loincloths, claiming that this is also a cooked up accusation.
“The total budget of ELECAM is about 9 billion CFA francs, of which nearly 8 billion CFA francs are used for operating expenses (payment of salaries, bonuses ...) and the rest, or one billion CFA francs for investments. To date, no employee has salary arrears, and the body has still not received its investment budget. How is it possible to divert money that we do not have,”? He wondered.
On the side of the opposition political parties, there are worries about the choice of the new executives of the elections managing organ, who are, for the most part, “senior officials of the ministry of Territorial Administration”.
Reacting to the new appointments, the head of SDF for the Center, Mr. Emmanuel Ntonga said, "The president Paul Biya has appointed his loyalists”.
The MRC party for its part revealed that Maurice Kamto, the National President of that party, met the new boss of ELECAM but nothing filtered out of the discussions between both men.
Note that Cameroon will organize its presidential elections this year and there are expectations and wishes amongst political pundits that the elections management body, ELECAM, ensures transparency in the conduct of the elections.
Another interesting feature in the next presidential elections shall be the constitutional council. The council shall be acting in the said elections for the first time since its establishment early 2018.
In the past years, the Supreme Court acted in its place.
By LVV
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