Infighting rocks North West Regional Assembly.

Fon Yakum, who doubles as Vice President of the Regional Executive Council, says traditional rulers have been sidelined by the Regional Assembly president, Prof Fru Angwafo III, and their status in the institution seriously threatened. 

His outburst is the content of a video filmed during the budgetary session of last December 2024. In the viral video, the House of Chiefs President revealed that the President of the Regional Executive Council, Prof Fru Angwafo III, is running the Assembly as a one-man business.

Citing sections of the provisions and term of office, Fon Yakum said for over four years that the Assembly has been existing, members of the House of Chiefs, who constitute a greater part of the institution, have been sidelined from several activities and decisions.

"It is saddening that we have been bundled here for ridicule and our status as traditional authorities threatened. As provided by the above cited law, the executive council is supposed to be the executive organ of our Region. This provision of the Special Status is neglected and only the President is the executive as in other Regions," Fon Yakum said.

He said amongst some of the activities, their comments and opinions have been neglected in deliberations at the Assembly. According to Fon Yakum, the traditional rulers are supposed to give their opinion on deliberations before they are adopted.

"We are supposed to receive regional deliberations and give our opinion. Unfortunately, we have never received any regional deliberation and thus have never had the opportunity to give our opinion for the adoption of deliberations. I regret to inform you that I was not associated with the preparation process, and the execution process of this session," Fon Yakum said.

Slap in the face of traditional rulers, culture 

Fon Yakum further explained that they, traditional rulers, do not know who and under what condition the food they have been eating during sessions for over four years are being prepared. He added that tradition does not permit the Fons to eat in that condition.

Another issue raised during the House of Chiefs sitting was that of dignitaries being decorated in the Region with traditional titles by their subjects without consulting the House of Chiefs. All of these developments, according to the President of the North West House of Chiefs, are slaps in their face as traditional authorities.

"I see dignitaries being decorated with traditional attributes by our subjects. What a slap in our face. These practices desecrate the traditional heritage of the North West Region…it is regrettable that we can do nothing about it," Fon Yakum stated.

In order to further expose their bitterness towards the incidents, the House of Chiefs, made up of traditional rulers, boycotted part of the December budgetary session. They also boycotted the end-of-year cultural jamboree celebration and the Head of State's end-of-year speech event that took place at the governor's residence.

It is important to note that the conflict between the House of Chiefs and the Regional Executive President of the Assembly escalated in November 2024, when Governor Adolphe Lele Lafrique put a hold on the organisation of the Heritage Festival of the North West by the House of Chiefs.

This was when the internal crisis at the North West Regional Assembly, which is just four years old, was brought to the limelight.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3341 of Friday January 17, 2025