Dismissed SDF bigwigs represent tiny minority – Osih.

He made a mockery of the group Saturday June 3 as he chaired a National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting in Yaounde.

Amongst other condescending remarks, Hon Osih, who represented the National Chieftain of the SDF, Ni John Fru Ndi, at the high-level meeting, said the group, which functions under the aegis of the G27+, represents a tiny minority of the party.

He said the departure of members of the platform was of no consequence to the SDF.

The Wouri Centre Member of Parliament, who has overtly made known his intentions of gunning for the coveted position of National Chairman of the SDF at the forthcoming July elective convention of the party, stated that the group, led by Hon Jean Michel Nintcheu, went overboard by dragging the leadership of the party to court.

Speaking to prying newsmen outside the NEC meeting hall, Hon Osih, who was SDF’s flagbearer at the 2018 presidential election, was quick to dismissed claims that the SDF is in factions. He argued that: “There are no dissenting voices within the SDF,” he claimed.

Osih stated that: “A couple of party members, I will say, a tiny minority of NEC members, decided to go against the party by dragging the National Chairman and Secretary General to court. Our constitution is very clear; all disputes are handled within the party not without. So, when you do the contrary, you find yourself in a position of self exclusion”.

Osih recalled that: “When NEC sat two months ago, it found out that 34 persons of which some claim to be members of the party, had decided to take the party to court. We can’t accept to be handling our issues in front of CPDM courts. If anybody is against anything that has happened in the party, there are avenues to settle those issues”.

“We have an obligation to put the party first. We don’t have problems with individuals,” he insisted. 

Despite the fracas within the SDF, Osih argued that the “party is strong and alive”.

“Our reorganisation is going on well. Everywhere, we have people who are vying for positions. We have elections going on and we are very confident that before the convention, all our ten Regions would have been reorganised and the party will be ready for a new start,” he boasted. 

“As of the last NEC meeting, five Regions had been covered. I guess more has been covered already. So, we are confident. Our constitution stipulates that we need the structures to be ready before the convention,” he continued.

Commenting on the forthcoming Elective Convention of the SDF, Osih disclosed that preparations are far advanced.

“Our Elective Convention is scheduled for the 27^th and 28^th of July 2023. As you know, our National Chairman has clearly indicated that he is no longer a candidate. He wishes new candidates emerge from this Elective Convention. I think it’s a historic convention for our party because it will see a change of leadership,” he said.