How Thomas Tobbo Eyoum plotted the fall of John Epee Mandengue

Thomas Tobbo Eyoum MP, was the friend of Mr Quang. He knew that, Mr Quang had the support of His Royal Highness Chief William Manga Mbile Ferguson, the traditional head of Victoria(Limbe) and the Bakweri ethnic group of the city. This support was important because, even though the government is in agreement or is in contact in all parts of Cameroon with traditional leaders/rulers, in Anglophone Cameroon, traditional leaders/ruler have much more influence. Hence, the majority French-speaking government in Yaoundé did make sure to have them as allies and not adversaries. Mindful of all the elements that played in favour of Henry Njalla Quang, who was by this time, the new Managing Director of Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC), Mr. Thomas decided to contact Mr Quang in order to complain about John Epee Mandengue. Thomas Tobbo Eyoum presented his case against Mr Mandengue to Henry Njalla Quang in an astute manner.

He presented his case against Mr Mandengue as a political threat not to him (Thomas) but more to Henry Njalla Quang. Thomas Tobbo Eyoum knew that, his friend (Henry) also desired the post of Prime minister, which was occupied then by Peter Mafany Musonge. But Henry never knew what to do or how to counter the speculative political threats allegedly posed to his ambitions by John Epee Mandengue, especially that, he was not based in the South west province. But Thomas nonetheless convinced him to suspend all insurance contracts that, John’s company Broking Services International had with CDC. When the news of the breach of contract linking CDC to Broking Service International reached John Epee Mandengue, he (John) immediately rang his cousin who was Prime minister. But he was soon discovering to his chagrin that, his cousin although a Prime minister, could not do anything to help him. Why? For Henry Njalla Quang, even though welding no political power, he was nevertheless appointed by the President of the Republic and a Prime minister had little or no influence on him or any other person directly appointed by the President of the Republic.

In Cameroon, all strategic companies such as the CDC have at their heads only managers who are appointed personally by the head of state and answerable to him directly. The lost of the contract that Broking Services International had with CDC was also the beginning of the end of John Epee Mandengue’s experimental return to Cameroon. John Epee Mandengue decided to go back to his native Nigeria after it became evident to him that, the centre could no longer hold because things had fallen apart, but he never wanted to go without fighting. He decided to file a court case against CDC for breach of contract, but it was a loosing battle, for Njalla Quang, fearing repercussion of what he has done and the eventual reaction of the Prime minister Peter Mafany Musonge, he (Quang) decided to send a distress call to his political ally Chief Inoni Ephraim, who was at the time deputy secretary General at the presidency of the Republic. Mr Ephraim assured his friend (Quang) of his support.