The deadlock observed in the election of a new mayor for Belo Council in Boyo Division, North West Region, in replacement of Mayor Ngong Innocent who was tragically murdered on 20th May has been attributed to the interference of Linda Yang, the wife of former Prime Minister Philemon Yang.
The central committee of the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) had endorsed Gilbert Ndiwum as the only candidate, but a majority of council members voted against him.
This stalemate has thrown the party into disarray, with various stakeholders vying to protect their interests.
Following a recent publication by MMI , a CPDM councillor, who chose to remain anonymous, has come out strongly in support of Ndiwum, alleging that Linda Yang, whole hails from Belo but is married in Oku, is allegedly behind the no-confidence vote against him.
According to the councillor, the central committee’s decision to endorse Ndiwum was consistent with previous practices, citing the late Mayor’s appointment as an example.
“He was the rightful person to have headed that council since 2020,” the councillor stated, referring to Ndiwum.
The councillor further claimed that during the February 9, 2020, municipal elections, Ndiwum Gilbert was the only councillor physically present in Belo, while others were in Yaoundé and other towns.
“Amongst the 41 councillors that make up the Belo Council, the councillor considered to be handpicked by the CPDM central committee was the only one with the courage to vote in Belo amidst the conflict,” he said, adding that even the late Mayor was nowhere to be found at the time.
Criticising his colleagues for opposing the party’s choice, he reminded them that, “even the late Mayor never participated in elections nor voted for himself and was imposed as Mayor without elections. The late Mayor was voted in Yaoundé in someone’s house.”
The councillor described the actions of his colleagues as absurd and accused Linda Yang of orchestrating the rejection of Ndiwum Gilbert for the mayoral position. He emphasised that Linda Yang, despite being from Belo, is neither a councillor nor a senior official of the CPDM.
“The issue is that those councillors who were disgruntled—14 out of 41—are sponsored by the former PM’s wife, who wants a Mayor of her choice to control the council,” he alleged.
We could not independently verify this claim and has not been able to contact both Ndiwum and Mrs. Yang for comment, as contact details for them are not available.
As internal conflicts continue, the Senior Divisional Officer (SDO) for Boyo, Saidou Moussa, has scheduled another electoral session for August 16.
