Battle for the Post of Prime minister amongst Anglophone Cameroonians

Elites of the South West province, who were showing extravagant interest in the battle that, the ruling majority French-speaking government in Yaoundé, was carrying out against the North West province or its elites; were: Professor Peter Agbor Tabi, former minister Higher Education and currently Pro-Chancellor of the University of Buea. Mr Tabi is a native of Mamfe, headquarters of Manyu division. The others were: Namata Ewanga Ebenezer MP from Kumba West electoral constituency, Henry Njalla Quang, Director General of CDC, who was/is from Victoria and Dr Mrs Dorothy Nujeuma, who was the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Buea. It must be recalled that, The University of Buea, is the only full-fledged state owned Anglophone University in Cameroon. Dr Mrs Dorothy Nujeuma is a native of Buea. There was also from Mamfe, another expectant figure, who was waiting to feast on the spoil of the battle, pitting the Francophone ruling elites in Yaoundé against a section of elites from the North West province. The expectant figure was Peter Oben Ashu, the controversial and astonishingly ethno-xenophobic, former governor of the South West province. Why did the majority French-speaking ruling elites in Yaoundé, fall out with their Anglophone pals from the North West province?

It was simply because; the latter were now leading the opposition, to the designs of the seemingly eternal rule of Paul Biya’s regime and also carrying out a thinly veiled battle against the perpetual political hegemony of French-speaking Cameroonians. However, out of all those South west elites latter mentioned who were and are still members of the ruling CPDM party, only three singled themselves out and thus were serious pretenders to any prestigious posts in Cameroon that were reserved to Anglophones. Top amongst them was the extraordinary, Henry Njalla Quang. Why? It was simply because; he was the chair of local football club called Electricity Sport Football Club or Elect Sports FC of Victoria (Limbe). This club was formerly chaired by lawyer Innocent Bonnu. The city of Victoria, where is located the lone oil refinery of Cameroon, is one of the two coastal towns of Anglophone Cameroon with seaports and whose development was abandoned by the majority French-speaking government in Yaoundé, immediately after unification. Besides Elect Sports Football Club, Victoria or Limbe, has another Football Club, perhaps much more popular than the former. She is called Victoria United aka one people one power (opopo).

Both football clubs reflect the political divide and acrimony that the unification of Anglophone Cameroon with French-speaking Republic of Cameroon has caused and left on minds and amongst Anglophone Cameroonians from the former British protectorate of Southern Cameroon’s within the city of Victoria. It is rumoured that, while Victoria United FC was created by those who wanted the independence of former British administered Southern Cameroon’s, but some of whom, were also for integration with Nigeria, the founders of Elect Sports Football Club seem to be people who supported unification. Those details mentioned, it is important to recall that, it was Mr Quang’s activism, especially in sport, when he succeeded to take over the chairmanship of Elect Sports Football Club of Victoria (Limbe) from Mr Innocent Bonnu, a rich and popular lawyer, but who was suspected to be a supporter of the opposition SDF, that he (Quang), became visible on the radar of the government and ruling party stalwarts in Yaoundé. Before then, he was one of the many local champions in the South West province, in search for national recognition.