SCNC splits again over election of Ayamba’s son as new Chairman

The Southern Cameroons National Council, SCNC, is in another protracted leadership hullabaloo following the election of Agbor Ayamba Daniel, late Chief Ayamba’s son, as new chair of the group in a controversial election held in Mamfe last week.

The contentious election and the anointment of Agbor, considered by opponents as low weight are generating more splits and disagreements in the organization.

Immediately the news of the election became public knowledge, the spokesperson for Ayah Paul’s People’s Action Party, PAP, Ako Abunaw, told newsmen rather bluntly, that Agbor Ayamba does not have the credibility, intelligence, charisma and courage to lead a liberation movement like the SCNC.

“It looks to me like the whole scandal about Agbor Ayamba’s election as the SCNC national chairman is self-motivated… Agbor Ayamba Daniel wants to put himself on a tectonic plate and it is going to explode very soon with its content…,” Ako said.

The election of Agbor Ayamba as new SCNC Chairman was done by a handful of activists at the Banya-Mamfe residence of his deceased father and former Chairman, Chief Ette Ottun Ayamba. The meeting was sanctioned by a memo signed by one Enow Samuel and Orock Matthias Orock.

Portions of the letter, a copy of which The Journal stumbled on reads: “ We, members of the SCNC…having deliberated seriously on how to get someone to replace our leader, the late Chief Ottun Ayamba…have decided to choose Agbor Ayamba Daniel to replace him. We elected him unanimously since the leadership of the movement is given to the Southern zone.”

According to the activists who attended the Mamfe meeting, Agbor Ayamba defeated one Ebai Wilson to become the new SCNC National Chairman.

Even before the cat calls that have greeted his election started streaming in, in an effort to justify his election, Agbor in an interview with the Mamfe-based National Telegraph, a periodic newspaper, castigated the Administrative Secretary of the SCNC, Arrey Bessong Matthias, whom he claimed had long been dismissed from the movement.

He blamed Arrey for what he described as the Kumba saga, referring to another controversial election that led to Ayah Paul Abine becoming SCNC National Chairman, howbeit in the interim.

“The so-called Kumba elective assembly was maneuvered by one Arrey Bessong who had been dismissed from the SCNC… He went to Kumba like a thief in the night and arranged for that whole saga…” Agbor said.

However, Arrey, who is also laying claims to the movement’s chairmanship job in the interim rubbished the whole idea; qualifying it as the joke of the century.

He insisted that he remains the SCNC acting National Chairman after the decision by Ayah Paul to turn down the post for a Supreme Court job.

Reacting to Agbor’s accusation about his role in the Kumba elective general assembly, Arrey retorted, “I have no time to answer a man who does not know his left from his right. What does he know about the SCNC that he wants to pass for its National Chairman?”

Nfor Nfor Ngala, another SCNC official who is laying claims to the chairmanship job, told The Journal that he was not aware of the development but stated categorically that he, Nfor, remains the only legitimate SCNC National Chairman.

“Anybody passing around for the National Chairman of the SCNC is either trying to reap from where he did not sow or is an agent sent by La Republique du Cameroun to slow down our independence struggle…,” Nfor Nfor stated.

Several other individuals are also currently claiming the leadership of the movement. Such include Thomas Nwancham and one Peter Forchu Chesami.

To be continued...