By Bakah Derick
It was an
uncommon show of satisfaction and fulfillment by a practically rejuvenated
President of the Northwest regional league of the Cameroon Football Federation
FECAFOOT John B. Ndeh Friday October 13, 2017 in Bamenda as he and his board
members officially took office following the recent decision of the
normalisation committee ordering the return of the 2009 executives of the
football association at the helm of Divisional and Regional structures.
The
former minister of transport who was first Vice President of FECAFOOT national
is known to have been stripped off the position of National President at the
time the then President Iya Mohammed was arrested. At the Bamenda office taking
event, reconciliation between the John B. Ndeh and Kaba Christopher turned out
to be the greatest attraction as both made pronouncements insinuating burial of
hatchets with JB Ndeh’s description of Kaba Christopher as “soldier ants”
sparking expected laughter.
Uncertainty as John B. Ndeh and 2009 board returns
Like the
National Federation, the North Regional chapter of Cameroon's Football
Federation FECAFOOT has not known peace since the failure of John B. NDEH to
assume the office of National President following the arrest and detention of
former president Iya Mohammed. As to how this failure impacted the NW chapter
is a story for another time but for now the presiding events and the current
state of affairs breeds some uncertainty as the new normalisation of Barrister Dieudonné Happi steps in to order the return to the 2009 executive.
According
to internal rules and regulations of FECAFOOT, once elected into the national
bureau you are expected to relinquish any regional function which you had
within the federation. By this provision John B. Ndeh who was elected National
vice president of Iya Mohammed had relinquished is regional office as president
to his first vice Fortibuh Hillary who was his first vice at the regional.
Fortibuh Hillary now had to work with his immediate collaborator Kaba
Christopher who was unanimously elected by the then executive board as the
regional secretary following the the statues of the federation.
By simple
understanding these people were working or were supposed to work together.
Unfortunately in 2015 after the appointment of the Joseph Owona led
normalisation commission, elections were announced in the Northwest region with
Tambe Jonathan as coordinator and the presumption that they were working
together was quickly washed away as Kaba Christopher emerged as presidential
candidate against his former boss John B. Ndeh.
From the
way things went coupled with an epistle fired by John B. Ndeh dissociating
himself from the elections of that day and presented self as respecter of state
institutions including the chamber of Conciliationon and arbitration of the
national Olympic and sports committee on election day, it is now clear things
had gone sour between the two though Kaba kept giving the impression that John
B. Ndeh was his father and he respected him that much.
From then
till October 13, Kaba Christopher has been running FECAFOOT NW as John B. Ndeh
watches from a distance. The most recent decision of the normalisation
committee to reinstate the 2009 board and executive board of regional and
divisional offices of FECAFOOT across the country Including NW announces
unclear circumstances as John B. Ndeh takes office to sit on same board with
Kaba Christopher who is not only board member but then secretary General.
The board
of the federation in the NW as at 2009 had as President John B. Ndeh, Vice
Fortibuh Hillary, Secretary General Kaba Christopher, assistant SG Mbanwi
Philip, and Treasurer Tabali Bernard. While others were nowhere to be found,
Fortibuh Hillary stood by Kaba during the 2015 elections implying the
willingness to stand with Kaba and not John B. Ndeh and for others no one can
say where they went to or where they stand. As to how they will manage
themselves in the board now is a complex speculation. Before the solemn office
taking event, there were already rumours in circulation about John B. Ndeh's
determination to kick Kaba Christopher out of the board for betrayal of
loyalty.
On the
other hand since the creation of the normalisation committee, postulants have
been emerging with interest to lead the regional football body. Grapevine talks
of Chi Ivo president of regional division two team Grassland FC of Nkwen, Yong
Jacques president of Yong Sports Academy, Immediate past president Kaba
Christopher and founder of Santos FC, and now John B. Ndeh whose ambition for
national office can only be backed by a regional executive ticket have declared
to run for office of FECAFOOT NW president. While age seems to be eliminating
the later, Kaba Christopher is battling with several scandals from club
presidents and referees in the region. Yong Jacques and Chi Ivo seem to be the
dark horses in the race that may even turn deadly but their support for the
game of football and residence may draw the line if other dark houses will not
resurface. They will however need to convince the over 15 board members of 2009
if they are included in the Electoral College to have them in office since most
of them never had teams at the regional level then.
Many have
however questioned why John B. Ndeh is taking over when effectively it was
Fortibuh Hilary who was President since his boss had relinquished the post for
the National first vice. The public declarations from both parties at the Bamenda
event gave the impression that both were ready to collaborate.