Cavaye laughs off death rumours, says focus on renewing Biya’s mandate.

The veteran politician, statesman and diehard Biya supporter made the declaration on Saturday January 6.
This was during a meeting with his collaborators. The staffers who serve at Cavaye’s cabinet paid him a visit at his official residence in Yaounde to present New Year wishes. The Speaker of the National Assembly also received best wishes for the New Year from Members of Parliament, MPs.
In the course of the exchanges focus on strengthening the working mechanism of the National Assembly and ensuring secrecy of official information to guarantee serenity, Cavaye spoke beyond expectation.
He touched on issues related to his health and recurrent rumours that he is dead. 
“The social media was also not late to say that I am weak; that I am even sick; that I am even dead whereas you saw the other day during the presentation of New Year wishes to the President of the Republic the way I walked. I am in good health. I am not sick. It is over a year, I have not gone to Douala,” Cavaye declared.
He charged those who work around him to ensure that: “What is done in my cabinet remains in my cabinet”, before urging them to “go and enroll on the electoral register so that President Paul Biya should be re-elected”.

Staff commit to serve
Speaking on behalf of staff at the House Speaker’s secretariat, the Chief of Cabinet, Boukar Abdourahim, said those working under the long serving National Assembly boss are determined to continue serving him without reserve.
“We use this opportunity to  reiterate our commitment to serve you and our engagement without reserve to your  political options,”  Boukar stated, before appealing to “others to respect our leader who is a respected  person who also stands for the respect  of state institutions”.

Context
Hon Cavaye, 84, has been the subject of repeated rumours of being in bad shape in recent times. Between October and November last year, reports emerged of missing millions at the lawmaking chambers.  
The perceived atmosphere of roadblocks in the management of the National Assembly became open when controversial decisions were read on State radio on Thursday November 9, 2023. 
The decrees bearing Cavaye’s name and signature appointed a new Director of Cabinet and a Private Secretary at his secretariat.
While those whose names were read on radio were getting set to take office, the House Speaker, issued a release same day, rejecting the appointments. 
He had described the abortive appointments as the handiwork of individuals whom he said then, were bent on destabilizing the smooth functioning of the National Assembly.
Having overcome such fracases and building back his secretariat, Cavaye’s renewed gaze on getting Biya another mandate is not new to what other regime barons have been saying in recent times. 
Pundits have repeatedly assessed that between now and 2025, the political mill of the nation will be working overtime to shape moves towards a third republic. Biya they are also saying, will remain the main character in the equation.