The population of Mbengwi was on Sunday March 22nd 2020 waken up from bed by sporadic gunshots. Most churches had held their services on Saturday because Sunday was expected to be tensed. At the sound of the gunshots, those who had nursed plans to go vote revised their intentions.
Despite this, things had to must go on as had been decreed. Well armed uniform officers transported officials of Elections Cameroon (ELECAM) to the three poling centres of Government Bilingual High School Mbengwi that accommodated 9 poling stations, Government Nursery School Mbengwi that accommodated 21 poling stations and the Mbengwi council hall that hosted 24 poling stations giving a total of 54 poling stations for Mbengwi central sub division.
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| Momo SDO Calling on the 2 Aspirants to Remain Calm |
Upon arrival at the council hall, I met a nurse. Looking tensed, she pleaded with me not to film or snap her. She had been compelled by the administration to come put in place measures to combat Covid-19 by making available water, soap and sanitizers. She had to do this in the three poling centres but she told me she's so frightened and traumatised with the gunshots and will not dare go to the poling centre in Mile 17 (GBHS Mbengwi). She will later disappear back to the Mbengwi District Hospital, her work post to hide her head as almost all of her colleagues were no where to be found.
Sooner, voting started. The exercise was preceded by a brief talk between the Momo Senior Divisional Officer and the two candidates during which he encouraged them to remain calm and composed. Among the early persons to cast their votes was the incumbent, Honourable Edna Enih Mbah of the Social Democratic Front. She became MP in 2013 when things were normal and still desired to retain the office now that things are abnormal. Worthy of note is that on the 9th of February she didn't vote.
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| Combatting COVID-19 at the Poling Centres |
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| Injoh Foo Ngang Prodencia, CPDM Parliamentary Candidate Casting Her Vote |
Mbengwi Online cornered the CPDM parliamentary candidate, Injoh Foo Ngang Prodencia after casting her vote and tasked her to evaluate the exercise. She said "The atmosphere is convivial meaning that the exercise is going on smoothly and we are waiting for the verdict to be pronounced at the end of the day. I think we did quite a lot of things on the ground, sensitising our people on the need for them to perform their civic duty. So we are just waiting. Hopefully, I think the turn out is encouraging, indicative of the fact that the people want to determine who will be the candidate to represent them in the glass house."
However, to the the other candidate, Edna Mbah, starting time wasn't respected coupled with other issues. Hear her "In fact I was not very happy when I saw that the poling centres were not yet ready at the time they were supposed to be. I was at my centre at 8am and there were still hitches. However I understand that it could be because of the security situation but what makes me a bit sick is the fact that it would appear many people who were supposed to have prepared the ground for the activity of today were not set. That said, finally it was opened and I cast my vote."
Several sporadic gunshots at various intervals ensured as voting went on. At some point within the day, an alleged explosion sound was heard from a far off locality. It's not clear whether actually there was a close range attack or the military just exaggerated the nontarget random firing. However, one thing is sure; the election had been banned by restoration fighters "in their land they call Ambazonia". As such, there were likely going to do anything possible to disrupt it.
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| Edna Enih Mbah, SDF Parliamentary Candidate Casting her Vote |
Despite the ban, the substantive candidates still stood for election. Their alternates, both men, had resigned from the race when burning of houses and kidnapping of candidates became rampant. The informal resignations through voices notes and letter writing ended on social media not in reality. The incumbent, Hon. Edna Enih Mbah explained why she still wanted to retain the office. She said "I want to tell my people that the love I had and accepted to represent them in 2013, I still have that love, that feeling, that desire to serve. That is why I kept on despite all odds. I want to plead that I know we are going through difficult times but the best thing for us to do is to see how we can all share our ideas, our talents in different ways to see that this situation is resolved so that we live the life we used to live and enjoy the presence of each other"
Addressing the restoration forces and anti election campaigners, she said "I wish to plead to my fellow brothers and sisters who have engaged seriously to see that our situation gets better that me still standing for elections is not a sign of disrespect or disregard for what they stand for but I say together we shall be able to solve this problem because it is a political problem though many other ideas, many other approaches have been taken. I want to plead with them and everybody in my constituency, in the North West, in Anglophone Cameroon and Cameroon at large that we only need all hands on deck. So I am taking the political option. Please, bring your own idea from the other side, bring your own approach so that together we can see that we enjoy our land once more."
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| The 2 Parliamentary Candidates for Momo East Constituency, Mbengwi; Prodencia (L) & Edna (R) |
Mbengwi Online couldn't access the Mile 17 poling centre because of distance, insecurity and means of movement considering that it was the furthest. Interestingly, it's the lone poling centre alleged to have recorded the highest number of voters, over a thousand according to social media circulated post election trends. It is rumoured the sporadic and periodic gunshots of various magnitudes rather forced the population to remain indoors and consequently, mostly the military, administration, CPDM councillors and a few diehard militants of both parties went to the polls. Even the Divisional Officer for Mbengwi was completely dressed like a soldier as he went visiting the poling centres for supervision, heavily guarded. At least 3 armored cars and 3 military hiluxes kept parading the streets.
At the Mbengwi Council hall, the voter's list was pasted on the walls bearing names of voters who had long died. The list had not been revised. The poling stations were not accessible to voters. A voter in Toneku for example, a border village to Batibo sub division was expected to trek to GNS Mbengwi to cast his/her vote, a distance of over 15km. Voters were not properly sensitised on how to vote. In the GNS poling centre for example, about 5 votes for the SDF were nullified simply because the ballot papers were folded before being inserted into the envelop. ELECAM says they ought not to have been folded. At the two polling centres covered, Mbengwi Online noticed that more men and few women voted and that no physically challenged person voted.
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| Voters List at Mbengwi Council Hall Poling Centre |
These challenges and many more were arguments the SDF had advanced as petitions to force the constitutional council to order for a rerun in Momo Division after the February 9th twin elections yet on Sunday March 22nd, nothing changed in terms of security, access to poling centres etc. As such, the results were obviously going to be as they'd been before or worst even. However, the constitutional council has the sole prerogative to declare the final results and this is expected any moment soon. On the 9th of February, Mbengwi Online didn't notice up to 150 voters at the polls but when results were published, Mbengwi recorded over 800 voters. They say in Cameroon, he that has the yam and the knife is the one that declares results not the voter. It's a wait and see.
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