PCRN Founding Father defies court, holds congress!.

One of the high points of the meeting, under the leadership of one of PCRN Founding Founders, Robert Kona, was the expulsion of Hon Cabral Libii and 20 others from the PCRN. 

The congress also ended with a declaration of support for President Paul Biya, as candidate for the 2025 presidential poll.

The development comes contrary to the ruling of the Maroua Court of First Instance of May 23, which had proscribed the Kona-led faction’s announced congress of May 25 to 26. 

In a document attributed to the court, the decision was said to be in force until the Kaele Court of First Instance in Keale, Mayo-Kani Division of the Far North Region, rules on a suit which Kona had filed in December 2023.

Kona, who had apparently gone into political oblivion, surfaced in December 2023, challenging Hon Cabral Libii’s leadership of the PCRN. He had sued the later at the Kaele court. 

The matter has suffered at least four adjournments. Through the sued, Kona is praying the court to annul the PCRN Congress of May 11, 2019, that brought Hon Cabral Libii to the helm of the opposition party.

Kona holds surprise congress

After failing to hold his PCRN faction’s congress of May 24 and 25, probably due to the court ruling, the June 1 Guidiguis meeting, one week after, has left the public surprised.

What has emerged from the meeting is a video clip in which Kona is seen showering praises on Biya, justifying why he should seek another mandate and reiterating his ownership of the PCRN.

Endorses Biya for 2025 

In line with readings pundits had long made that he was fighting to take over the PCRN to hand it over to the CPDM, Kona came out clear during last Saturday’s meeting. He threw his weight behind President Paul Biya for next year’s presidential election.

“The President of the Republic, His Excellency, Paul Biya, National President of the CPDM, is our natural candidate…we urge him to run again in the 2025 presidential election,” Kona was heard saying in a video said to have been filmed during the meeting. 

“We’ll fight for Biya, he’ll win the election”

Regurgitating his understanding of circumstances that brought Biya to power in 1982, Kona said the PCRN, under his control, will fight to keep the CPDM founder at the helm of State.

“God gave him to us since 1982. We will all go to the field and fight for him. He will win the election and stay on as our president. Nobody should oppose him. The Far North will not accept that. The entire northern region from where the first Head of State, Ahmadou Ahidjo, came from, will not accept it. He had said ‘within two days, I will hand power’ to the Prime Minister at the time, Paul Biya and he did and left,” Kona maintained.

He assured that: “Paul Biya will be candidate at the 2025 election. Not only in the Far North; not only the Northern regions, all of Cameroon will vote for him. He will succeed”.

The man who is battling with Cabral Libii over the PCRN, said Biya, as Head of State, requires the support of compatriots across the board to properly discharge his God-ordained duties. 

According to Kona: “That is how Cameroon as a great nation should be managed”.

In what looks like praising the administration for not banning his meeting, Kona remarked that: “You know even when the Senior Divisional Officer, SDO, comes here to install a Divisional Officer, DO, he always says, ‘by the powers vested upon me by the Head of State, take command’. That is to say the Head of State has sent the DO here to encourage us to move forward, not to be against us. No DO can ever be against for instance the Lamido, who is a permanent elite in an administrative unit…”.

Crusades national reconciliation, tells off critics

Kona urged citizens to continue to work under the guidance of President Paul Biya “towards national reconciliation”, before declaring that: “Those who say the CPDM put pressure on me who founded PCRN, I don’t care”. 

He then questioned: “Who first of all invited me to create a party?”, responding in the negative that: “Nobody. Nobody ever asked me to create this party. If there is one person as such, let him come and take his party. There will not be any”.

He said he regrets ever allowing Cabral Libii to take over the leadership of the opposition party.

Cabral Libii, others expelled from party

Among other resolutions arrived at during the Guidiguis meeting, incumbent PCRN leader, Hon Cabral Libii and 20 others were expelled from the party. 

The Kona-led faction said those dismissed failed to respect the statutes of the party’s “internal regulations, notably its ideology-based on the values of truth, love, peace, respect for institutions and the people who embody them”. 

Other members expelled are: Ousmanou Malpetel, Boubakari Massardine, Gouane wanie Roman, Wanféo William, Armand Okol, Bitouga,  Massardine Albert Fleuri,  Garga Waguie, Gontao Pierre, Ndaowe Honoré Félix, Julien Bapes, Christian Ndjock Nkongo, Max Ekongo,  Réné Maccoy Nyobe,  Jean Louis Batoum, Franck Fritz Messe,  Clotarien Guedeo, Anne Feconde Noah,  Nyeck Biyaga Joseph Félix,  Bevolo Mathieu, Kuba Aboem, Blaise Kwadjika and Njikam Aboubakar.

The Kona faction also stated in its resolutions that the concerned are prohibited from talking on behalf of the PCRN. 

Any defiance, the faction said, will be met with judicial actions in line with the laws in force. 

The note also said Kona has been given powers to run the PCRN and make appointments nationwide as he deems fit.

New executive members

Other new faces in Kona’s executive are: First Vice President, Vingalsou Isidore; Second Vice President, Bekimdaka Messembe Stanley; Third Vice President, Djongmo Richard and Fourth Vice President, Souleymane Karamoko. 

The same team unveiled as PCRN new Secretary General, Dinba Kona. He will be assisted by Yaya Abdou. The post of Treasurer was handed to Tchoupmanga Thérèse. She has as vice, Oumar Souleymane. 

For auditors, Kona appointed the following: Domga Ngouna Jean de Dieu, Maï Yang Rachelle, N'wawe Wanhou and Yanda Jouss Felix. 

Meanwhile, the team of advisers released after the meeting has the names of Libah Jean, Ayole Essi'i Gregg, Temwa Théodore and Modibo Kali Richard. 

Cabral Libii faction contuse preparation for 2025

In the face of the forceful moves from Kona, embattled PCRN National President, Hon Cabral Libii, is rather bent on solidifying moves which he said are in preparation for the 2025 polls. 

In one of several meetings his faction held in Yaounde, Cabral Libii was charged to continue mobilising Cameroonians to massively enroll on the electoral register at home and abroad. 

In line with such recommendations, Cabral Libii is currently in the United States to engage PCRN supporters.

This story first published in The Guardian Post issue No3131 of Tuesday June 04, 2024