The population of Maroua, chieftown of the Far North Region of Cameroon, has reportedly asked the Prime Minister to annul the election of Abdoulaye Yerima Bakari as the new Lamido of the town.
In a letter that surfaced online dated September 21, 2023, the petitioners described the election of Yerima Bakari as an “electoral masquerade followed by a democratic parody”.
“We have the honor to come and request, through you, the pure and simple cancellation of this election, the consequences of which risk might be disastrous for social cohesion in this locality,” the petition read.
The petitioners argued that the election was marred by corruption and vote buying and did not reflect the intent of the masses.
“Indeed, it is public knowledge that the election of Mr. Abdoulaye Yerima Bakari is the direct consequence of a network of corruption and conscience buying set up by the latter to bribe the notables who, if necessary, each collected an amount of 05 million FCFA,” read the petition that was addressed to the PM.
Yerima Bakari, who is the former Mayor of Maroua II, was pronounced Lamido of Maroua after a highly contested election on September 16.
He secured 24 out of 34 votes, while the former Minister of Housing and Urban Development shared the remaining 10 votes.
Reports say the Maroua population however received the election outcome with indifference.
This indifference, the petitioners believe, signalled the population’s rejection of the new Lamido.
“This state of affairs denounced well before the election was also strongly felt by the deafening calm which followed the proclamation of the results at the Lamida esplanade. In the history of residents in the town of Maroua, never has a Lamido election left the population so completely indifferent,” the petition stated.
Some Maroua denizens who reasoned in the same light as the petitioners questioned what impact Abdoulaye Yerima Bakari made on the lives of the common people when he was Mayor of Maroua II from 2013 to 2020.
“What good did he do for his Municipality? What will a person who was unable to lead a Municipality with honesty achieve at the head of a 1st degree chieftaincy?” wondered Ismaila Abdourahman Abdourahman Ahmadou, a Maroua inhabitant.
The petition also reveals that community tension has been rising since the election of Abdoulaye Yerima Bakary as Lamido of Maroua.
The newly elected is the grandson of Hamadou Sourdjo, who reigned as Lamido for 36 years. His uncle, Yaya Tairou, was also a Lamido for 15 years.
The Prime Minister is yet to publicly react to the petition against the new Lamido.
By Amina Hilda
