After endorsing President Paul Biya as their candidate for the 2025 elections, chiefs of the South West Region have received a fresh call from an elite member of the ruling CPDM party in the region to maintain political neutrality in public.
Victor Arrey-Nkongho Mengot, who is the Minister Chargé de Missions at the Presidency of the Republic, said chiefs must remain politically neutral in their public comportment so as to maintain the respect of their subjects who align with the opposition.
He made the submission in a presentation delivered during a meeting of South West CPDM elites in Buea on Saturday, May 31.
CPDM Permanent Regional Delegation Head in the South West, former Prime Minister Peter Mafany Musonge, chaired the meeting. Also present was Prime Minister Chief Dr Joseph Dion Ngute.
“While supporting a particular party, chiefs should strive to maintain an appearance of neutrality in their interactions with all members of the community to avoid alienating those who support other parties,” Mr Arrey-Nkongho Mengot asserted, reading from a prepared document.
He, however, outlined that chiefs should be active in ensuring that the CPDM gets an overwhelming victory in the South West. The party already controls all 31 municipal councils as well as the South West Regional Assembly.
He said leaders should mobilise voters, educate their communities about the election, maintain peace and social cohesion, facilitate community dialogue, ensure free and fair elections, and maintain public neutrality.
“…The Chiefs of the South West Region can play several significant roles in the upcoming elections to support the CPDM and the party’s candidate. However, it is crucial to understand that their influence is complex and operates within a specific socio-political context marked by the ongoing social-political and security crisis and diverse opinions. Their actions must be carefully considered to avoid exacerbating existing tensions.”
His outing appears to contradict the South West Chiefs Conference’s pledge to support President Paul Biya’s re-election bid for the upcoming election.
During an elective general assembly in Limbe on February 22, members of the South West Chiefs Conference (SWECC) urged President Biya to launch his campaign for the 2025 presidential election in the region.
They said he was their sworn candidate for the election, a declaration that shocked many observers who had believed in the political neutrality of traditional rulers.
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