Election of new Belo mayor runs into storm!.

The Senior Divisional Officer, SDO, of Boyo, Saidou Moussa, had convened a session for the election of a new mayor, to replace Dr Ngong Innocent, killed last May 20, by gunmen, believed to be separatist fighters. 

The session, organised at the Belo Council chambers yesterday, ended in deadlock. According to our sources, the session started at around 1:30 p.m., with councillors hoping to express their political right.

The councillors are said to have been looking forward to vote from amongst them a mayor they believe would take active role in developing the Belo Municipality.

There was, however, a twist when the SDO gave the floor to the CPDM Central Committee delegation that was in Belo to oversee the election.

Hon Wallang Richard, the Member of Parliament for Menchum South, led the CPDM Central Committee delegation. He was accompanied by Chiangeh Grace, Vice President of the CPDM Permanent Divisional Delegation for Boyo and Waindim Timothy.

The Guardian Post gathered that a letter, supposedly signed by the Secretary General of the CPDM Central Committee, Jean Kuete, was read out, stating that Ndiwum Gilbert, current North West Regional Delegate of Housing and Urban Development, was the party’s choice for the position the new Belo mayor.

The letter, we are told, was read out as a means to coerce or influence the councillors to accept the lone candidate presented. The move, we gathered, rather provoked a tense atmosphere as majority of the councillors opposed the choice of the party. 

They argued that as per the text of the CPDM, they reserve the prerogative to make their choice, thereby exercising their right to vote.

Further negotiations and pleas by the Central Committee delegation and the SDO, we gathered, did not yield any dividends as the councillors passed a vote of no confidence on the lone candidate. The SDO, we are told, was thus forced to close the session. 

In a now viral video after the deadlock, one of the councillors is heard shouting: “This is not what the CPDM stands for…we will not accept any form of influence or manipulation”. 

The said councillor equally underlined the need for Belo to have as mayor, an active development-oriented person voted by free will, void of external influence. 

The councillors, we further gathered, are said to be planning to address a letter to the Minister of Territorial Administration as well as to the hierarchy of the CPDM for the issue to be addressed.

The election had earlier been scheduled to hold on Thursday August 1, 2024, but pushed forward to yesterday. It should be noted that the CPDM in Belo had been drifting into factions, even before Dr Mayor Ngong Innocent. who doubled as Section President, was assassinated.

Since Mayor Ngong Innocent was killed on May 20, 2024, alongside Dr Anghi Aaron, the Inspector of Basic Education; the First Deputy Mayor, Mbu Alice, has been managing the council on interim basis. 

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue N0:3191 of Tuesday August 06, 2024