North West: CPDM at 36 is ‘bossing’ the former opposition stronghold

The ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement, CPDM, clocks 36 today.

The party was born on March 24, 1985, in the North West Region at the Bamenda Congress Hall with President Paul Biya as the National Chairman.

Though the party would not be rallying to celebrate this year due to Covid-19 barrier measures, militants of the party in the North West Region are enjoying internal joy given their edge in power.

Ever since its creation in the region, the party remained infamous like the popular saying, “a prophet is never known in his hometown” until the surfacing of armed conflict which tilted political favors to the CPDM.

Like the Bible says in Ecclesiastics 3:1-8, for everything there is a time and season; and that time for the CPDM to shine bright in the region presented itself amid the ugly crisis.

Separatist fighters had warned and threatened to eliminate all political actors who do not resign from politics with Yaoundé.

The scare infused by separatists, freed the air for CPDM as most SDF militants chickened out leaving the playground void of any challenge for the CPDM which swept the councils and parliamentary seats in the region.

The party that could hardly boast of 15 councils in the region is today’s conqueror of the North West political landscape, owning 33 out of the 34 municipal councils.

In the February 2020 legislative elections, the CPDM dislodged the SDF, winning 18 of the 20 parliamentary seats in the region.

The party today sits on a comfortable majority of 152 seats in parliament, up from 148 in the 9th legislative period.

Thanks to her overwhelming victory at the municipal elections in February/March 2020, the party enjoys control of the Regional Council in North West which was debuted in December 2020, voted by municipal councilors.