After defeat in National Chairmanship race: Godden Zama quits SDF in frustration?.

He announced his resignation from the political outfit, in Limbe on Thursday December 7.

Zama, who came a distant third, during the October SDF National Chairmanship election to replace the late Ni John Fru Ndi, tendered his resignation letter yesterday.

In an outing on social media, Zama, who served until his resignation as Chairman of Limbe I Electoral District of the SDF, said it was time to part ways with the party. 

He did not immediately disclose reasons for his decision to bang the door on the SDF.

However, in a brief, yet emotion-packed message posted on his official social media handles yesterday, Zama merely wrote: “It's goodbye SDF. My time with the party is up. I am grateful for every experience and cherished every moment. As a member of the party, I fought every battle and never picked a fight. I am grateful for my time in the SDF. I wish the newly elected chairman and his executive the very best,” he added.

Contacted via telephone yesterday by The Guardian Post, Zama confirmed his resignation but declined commenting on the reasons for the decision.

Asked if his resignation is linked to his disgruntlement over the outcome of last October’s elective convention of the party, Zama was equivocal: “I am quitting for personal reasons”. 

Resigning out of frustration?

Notwithstanding Zama’s decision not to open up on his reason for quitting the SDF, political watchers appear unanimous that the line separating his decision to quit the SDF, and the defeat he suffered at the October elective convention, is very thin.

“Would he have resigned from the SDF, if he was elected national chairman of the political outfit?”, a political analyst who offered to stay anonymous questioned rhetorically.   

It should be recalled that Zama had described the October election as a mockery of internal party democracy.

Reacting to the election, in which Hon Joshua Osih was declared winner, Zama had labelled the exercise as a farce.

He had said although Hon Osih Joshua was declared winner of the hotly contested poll, the SDF party emerged as a loser.

Zama, who emerged a distant third with 217 votes, was vehement that the procedure to elect officials into National Executive Committee, NEC, was largely marred by irregularities and intrigues.

He stated that: “We demonstrated the strength of our party but unfortunately, voting was marred by a lot of irregularities. Joshua Osih won the election, but I think the SDF lost”.

He was blunt that: “The election was actually a farce”. Zama cited the situation of under aged kids who left schools to come and vote. 

“We had the situation of people being ferried from neighborhoods in Yaounde to come and vote. It was a disgraceful procedure. As I said before, Joshua Osih won the election, but the SDF lost”. 

He continued that: “Overall, the election was disgraceful. The voting process was chaotic…when it started, candidates didn’t have the list of accredited delegates… we didn’t have representatives at the various polling stations. People were just called in to start voting. That is why we had to stop the process to ensure that it was regular and transparent”.

“It is disgraceful that the SDF, a party that is crusading frre, fair and transparent polls in Cameroon, should carry out elections in this manner. I think that for posterity sake, and for the integrity of the party, we must do better,” he had insisted.

Analysts say going by his post-election comments, which they hold, depicted frustration, it was crystal clear Zama’s days in the SDF were already numbered.

Zama, it should be recalled, had announced a press conference after his defeat at the SDF convention. He, however, cancelled it at the 11^th hour. It was however not clear what he wanted to announce during the cancelled press conference. 

Given the popularity Zama willed in the Limbe I SDF Electoral District, his resignation from the main opposition party, has left many wondering and guessing if he would join the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement, CPDM; Cameroon Renaissance Movement, MRC or create his own political party.