CBC constitutional amendment saga: Christians confess lured, tricked to drag Executive President to court.

The letter, issued April 17, was signed by the CBC Executive President, Rev Dr Nditemeh Charlemagne. 

The Baptist Christians had seized the Mezam High Court in Bamenda, over what they considered as unconstitutional moves by the current CBC leadership. 

However, the letter released yesterday by the Executive President, indicates that two of the four complainants presented themselves to the office of the CBC Executive President in Bamenda, to tender an apology to the church leadership and announce their backing out of the case.

Going by the letter, a copy of which The Guardian Post has seen, two of the plaintiff Christians identified as Samuel Bongajum and Emmanuel Tantoh, from Ndu in the Donga Mantung Division, confessed to have been lured and tricked to drag the CBC and its leaders to court. 

“Today 17 April 2024, I received in audience two of the plaintiffs, our brethren, Samuel Bongajum and Emmanuel Tantoh from, Ndu who came to register their apologies…,” partly reads the letter of the Executive President to faithful. 

Repentant plaintiffs tender disclaimer

The letter also reveals that the two repentant plaintiffs deposited a disclaimer to the said court case against the CBC and two of its elected officers.

“In filing their disclaimer to the said court case, these two brethren unequivocally and sincerely professed that someone lured and tricked them into this court case project without their knowledge and/or blessing,” the letter detailed. 

The letter pointed out that the two Christians “vigorously stated that they have never and will never sue the church of their whole life- the CBC, and/or CBC leaders...”. 

While informing the Baptist Christians countrywide and beyond that the date of the court hearing is not known at the moment, Rev Nditemeh assured them in the letter that once the date is fixed, they will be duly informed.

Bone of contention 

The CBC, its Executive President as well as CBC Chairman, Mkong Yosimbom John, were dragged to the Mezam High Court by CBC Christians, initially four in number. 

With two having pulled out of the case, the remainders, notably Tansah Jones Ndzi, and Luma Albert, will be challenging the CBC leadership in court for “illegal acts, illegal unconstitutional and ultra vires acts,” and “gross incompetence and gross misconduct”. 

Also, the CBC, together with the Executive President and Chairman, have been accused by the complainants of “illegal, irregular and unconstitutional adoption” of the CBC Constitution and the by-laws revised during the CBC Extraordinary General Session, organised in Bamenda on June 19, 2023. 

According to the Executive President, it is needless that the disgruntled Christians are contesting a move in which in the Baptist congregationalism, 809 delegates at the CBC Extraordinary General Session, voted for the revision of CBC constitution and the by-laws of 2014, contrary to the 139 votes against. 

Previous efforts to resolve the matter 

It should be recalled that the matter had been taken to the Senior Divisional Officer, SDO, of Mezam Division last March 13. 

However, the meeting between the SDO and the belligerents ended in a deadlock. Weeks after, another meeting was held in Yaounde, at the behest of former Prime Minister, Philemon Yang, himself a senior faithful of the CBC, in an attempt to resolve the issue. 

The Guardian Post had learned that no compromise was yet arrived at, during the Yaounde meeting.

However, Yang was quoted as urging the belligerents to return to Bamenda to resolve the matter within as a Church, without going to court.

However, the disgruntled Christians remained adamant to the pleas and decided to drag the CBC Executive President, Chairman and the convention to court.

A source within the CBC, who did not want to be named, had disclosed that the “floor members of the church” are being “powered and tele-guided by some big people within the CBC”.