Hitch free senatorial election in NW, SW after all.

No incident was registered as municipal and regional councillors took to the polls to vote new senators.

Voting took place unperturbed at all divisional headquarters of the two English-speaking regions.

Members of the Electoral College began casting their votes as early as 8:00am Sunday.

It was the third time councillors were taking to the polls to elect senators since the legislative organ went operational in 2013.

Prior to Sunday’s vote, there were calls by separatists for a boycott of the exercise. Despite the boycott call, voting unfolded without hitches.

Early reports from the North West and South West regions indicated that voting took place in polling stations without hitches.

In the two regions, the voting unfolded in the presence of the governors of the areas. Two political parties; the Social Democratic Front, SDF, and the Cameroon Peoples Democratic Movement, CPDM, competed for votes in the North West Region. In the South West Region, the CPDM ran unopposed.

North West Governor, Adolphe Lele L’Afrique, while observing the exercise, congratulated Elections Cameroon, ELECAM for effective mobilisation and organisation of the elections in all seven Divisions of the region. 

The governor while making a stop at the polling station of the Mezam Divisional headquarters, appreciated the turnout and flow of activities in all divisions.

“Things are going well not only in Mezam but in all seven Divisions of the North West Region. The electorates were mobilised and the rate of participation is very encouraging at all the polling stations. Since 8:00am when elections started, no incident has been recorded,” the Adolphe Lele said.

“I will like to seize this opportunity to congratulate Elections Cameroon for a job well done and for their services,” he added. 

Speaking shortly after casting his vote, The President of the North West Regional Assembly, Prof Fru Angwafo III, told reporters that his vote targets development for the region.

Speaking in an interview during the exercise, Prof Fru Angwafo III expressed satisfaction, noting that the senate is crucial to the development of the North West Region.

"I feel good. It is a wonderful thing to exercise my civic duty. I think it's an obligation for us to vote senators and the Senate is a very important institution for our region. Regional Assembly works with the senators from our region so that our development plans are not only funded but take priority as in our national strategic development plan 2023," he told newsmen.

"We are part of a chain from the local Council to the Regional Assembly to the Senate. When we work in cohesion, we stand a chance of fast-tracking the peace and development that our people yearn for," he added.

In a similar outing, the Fon of Nkwen, HRH Fon Azehfor III, who voted in Bamenda, said: “It is my civic duty and responsibility to cast my vote. This is to support and to decide who our Senators will be, that is those who will be represent us at the national level. We are doing this because we will be looking at them very closely to see that every development of this region is projected given the fact that the decentralization process is fast becoming a reality”.

“We as traditional rulers we are part of the system and the system involves all of us. We have to come on board to encourage our communities to grow,” Fon Azehfor III continued.

Taking the cue, SDF senatorial list leader for the North West Region, Vanigansen MoChiggle, shortly after voting had saluted the conduct of the polls.

“This is an election. This time around, the stakeholders were all associated in the process that’s why I say it is transparent because of their presence and participation. We have participated and we will accept the results. When we are not included in the electoral process, it becomes difficult for us to accept the end. During the last election in 2020, we were unable to have documents required for canditure to be signed by officials,” he said.

In Meme division of the South West Region, the Senior Divisional Officer, Chamberlain Ntou’ou Ndong, saluted the conduct of the exercise.

Accompanied by his close collaborators, Ntou’ou Ndong visited the polling station in Kumba before making an on-the-spot assessment of the exercise.

He was accompanied by the President of the South West Regional Assembly, Bakoma Elango Zacheus, who voted in the Kumba.

A similar hitch free exercise took place in Buea, Mamfe, Bangem, Mundemba and Menji of the South West Region.