Grand North: Interim MRC boss, Guibai Gatama clash over fresh political awareness.

It is not unconnected to the October 12 presidential election in which, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, candidate of the Cameroon National Salvation Front, FSNC, a native of the Grand North, is claiming victory.

Mota who has been consistent in posting several issues about the poll on social media, wrote Wednesday October 15, questioning the whereabouts of Gatama. 

Being a prominent voice in the Grand North, Mota said Gatama had suddenly gone silent, insinuating that he had become an agent of the regime in power.

Guibai Gatama fires back

Gatama who got wink of the development did not waste time in firing at the MRC interim leader. He challenged the political leader to concentrate on using the opposition party he now leads than engaging in battles that will not improve the lot of the “marginalized people” of the Grand North.

The journalist revealed that contrary to the claims of Mota, he is in contact with Tchiroma whom he said he has been close to since the year 2002. 

“I'm in contact with my old friend Tchiroma at this critical moment in our history,”  Gatama stated.

He added that: “...Only naive people think that the awakening and awareness in the Grand North took root in 2025 or that the MRC, which is a featherweight political party in this part of the country, played a leading role. Not there, certainly elsewhere”.

Accuses MRC of seeking to downplay efforts of others

Gatama in his reply to Mota further accused him and other leaders of the MRC of seeking to make irrelevant the efforts of others in raising political awareness in the northern Regions.

The journalists added that: “I don't know the gain you could make from it because it's a wasted effort”, before situating that: “While I respect your struggles, may I still remind you that you don't have monopoly of love for the Far North”.

‘You just discovered Tchiroma’

Gatama also accused Mota of just discovering Tchiroma in the wake of this year’s presidential election months after he left the government. 

“…I think deep down, you don't like Tchiroma. You just want to exist through him... You are incapable of concentration: what is the priority for the President of a party like you today?” he questioned.

He further asked if it is he who “…is on the way to achieving his political objective or the political circumstances of the moment?” that is blocking Mota.

‘Don't fight the wrong battle’

Further telling Mota to avoid fighting the wrong battle, Gatama within the context of last Sunday’s poll, said: “Everywhere in the North, voters have expressed themselves, young people even more so, and it is not the MRC that is at the origin of this awareness in this part of the country”.

Gatama said the political awareness sweeping across the North is the fruit of collective effort. He asserted that such is borne out of “…our great marginalization, our marginalization, our chronic underdevelopment...”

This story was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3600 of Monday October 20, 2025