Tension Mounts In MRC Following Barrister Tamfu‘s Exclusion From Party’s Directorate

Tension erupted in the Cameroon Renaissance Movement, CRM, popularly known as MRC, mid-last week following a decision by the National Directorate of the party to exclude one of its members, Barrister Richard Tamfu, from the management organ of the party for alleged gross indiscipline. Tamfu was before his exclusion, MRC’s National Secretary in charge of Reforms and Modernization of the State, and Communication. He was reportedly appointed to that post by the National President of MRC, Maurice Kamto. Tamfu’s exclusion from the National Directorate of the MRC means that he has been dismissed from that post.

Barrister Michele Ndoki’s Reaction

But what really fueled the tension was the tough reaction of a firebrand senior official of the party, Barrister Michele Ndoki, who last year declared her candidature for the post of National President of MRC, during the party’s elective national convention expected to hold late this year. This means that she will be the challenger of the current National President of the party, Prof Maurice Kamto. From the look of things, Kamto’s as well as Ndoki’s supporters in MRC are already bracing up for the clash, and this partly contributes to the drama that has been playing out in the party in the past couple of days.

It should be noted that Tamfu’s tweet last week was immediately followed by the reaction of Michele Ndoki also on social media. She noted that Tamfu was excluded during a meeting of the National Directorate of the MRC which was presided at “by Prof Maurice Kamto himself”. She alleged that Kamto chided Tamfu for attacking his age and for supporting another candidate (for the post of National President of MRC) and that he considered that an inadmissible act.

Tamfu To Face Disciplinary Council?

Ndoki said that not only has Tamfu been thrown out of the National Directorate of the party, but that he will also face the party’s Disciplinary Council for “manquement du devoir de reserve et de loyaute”. Understood to mean that Tamfu will face the Disciplinary Council of MRC for having failed to respect the duty to maintain reserve or silence on certain issues considering the post he occupied in the MRC, and for also having been disloyal to the National President of the party, Maurice Kamto, who in the first place appointed him to the post.

“It is exactly because of this type of behaviour that I have maintained my candidature for the Presidency of the party. And it is exactly for this reason that we want to win. This (MRC) is neither the party nor (is the country) Cameroon we want. This is not who we are; they don’t silence us, ask Martinez. Even from where he is now, he is still speaking,” Michele Ndoki in an emotional outburst declared.

Ndoki warned that: “Ce parti n’appartient pas Maurice ä Kamto. Le MRC n’est pas Maurice Kamto. Ce n’est pas sa chose dont il dispose comme bon lui semble. Tout mon soutien Maitre Tamfu Richard. On reste debout et on advance. On se voir le 4 Novembe, 2023”.

She by that declaration is understood to have warned that the MRC does not belong to Maurice Kamto, and that the party is not his personal or private thing. She pledged her total support to Barrister Tamfu. She said despite all odds they remain standing and are advancing. She finally gave a rendezvous for November 4, 2023, apparently the date of the elective convention of the MRC.

Kamto’s Men Rush To His Defense

Meanwhile, after the outings of Tamfu and Ndoki on social media, some of Maurice Kamto’s men rushed to social media to defend him and the decision that was taken by the National Directorate of the party to exclude one of its members, Barrister Richard Tamfu, from the ruling organ of the party. Of course, without any surprise, Kamto’s men found Tamfu culpable in everything that went wrong at the meeting of the National Directorate of the party, with one even saying that if members of the Directorate of MRC were not gentlemen, they would have beaten up Tamfu at the meeting for the invectives he allegedly poured on them.

One of the reactions on social media that caught the attention of THE MENTOR for the allegations and details of what allegedly happened at the meeting of the National Directorate of the MRC, came from Jean Bonheur Tchouapa, the party’s National Secretary in charge of Basic, Secondary, Civic and Public Hygiene Education. He said that Tamfu sat beside him, precisely on his left-hand side at the meeting.

Kamto’s Man Alleged That Tamfu Rarely Attended Meetings

Tchouapa focused his lengthy post on what he considered as the misdemeanour that Tamfu allegedly manifested at the meeting of the National Directorate of MRC, in contrast to what he said was the very gentlemanly behaviour as well as leadership qualities that were showed by Kamto.

Even before getting to talk about what allegedly happened at the meeting, Tchouapa chastised Tamfu whom he alleged was inactive since the National President of MRC appointed him to do the post of National Secretary in charge of Reforms. He also alleged that Tamfu was notorious for being a frequent absentee from the meetings of the Directorate. He said Tamfu had by the day of his exclusion from the Directorate attended only five meetings in his almost three years in the Directorate.

The Issue Of Age

Meanwhile, Tchouapa said in the course of the last meeting of the National Directorate of MRC, the National President of the party faulted Tamfu for three posts he made on social media, precisely tweets. The social media post that Kamto found most pernicious was that which made reference to his age and that of President Biya. “13 Fevrier 1933, 15 Fevrier 1954, en 2025 ils auront respectivement 92 et 71 ans. Les deux seront trop vieux pour gouverner les Camerounais”. Roughly translated as “13 February 1933, 15 February 1954, in 2025 they will respectively be 92 and 71 years. The two will be too old to govern Cameroonians”. It should be noted that Biya was born in 1933 and Kamto in 1954. As public figures, the ages of both men are no secret. Kamto himself was quoted to have said during the meeting that he never hides his age.

Tamfu Declared Support For Ndoki

Meanwhile, Tchouapa said Kamto’s problem with Tamfu’s tweet was not that he made mention of his age, but that as a militant of MRC, and more so a member of the National Directorate, he should not be the one trying to stir up the population to protest against his possible candidature at the 2025 Presidential Elections, because of his age.

Tchouapa quoted Kamto as saying at the meeting that Tamfu declared his support for Barrister Michele Ndoki in one of his tweets, but that it was not a problem to him. But his problem was that Tamfu whom he appointed to the National Directorate of the party, was instead using that position to try to attack him in public, for the interest of his candidate (Michele Ndoki).

Majority Of Members Demanded Tamfu’s Expulsion

Tchouapa said that when Kamto was talking at the meeting of the National Directorate about the social media post that attacked his age, Tamfu repeatedly interrupted to argue that he did not mention any name in his post, so the National President of the MRC could not accuse him of having attacked him. Tchouapa alleged that Tamfu manifested such disrespect for the National President of the party that other members of the Directorate tried to call him to order. He said the situation instead worsen as Tamfu allegedly poured invectives on them. He said an indignant member of the National Directorate at the meeting raised a proposal that Tamfu should be excluded from the Directorate for gross indiscipline and that a large majority of members supported it. A resolution was thus adopted there and then excluding Tamfu from the Directorate, and he was ordered to leave the meeting.

Ndoki Hits Back

Meanwhile if Kamto’s men last Thursday, June 8 thought they had silenced Barrister Michele Ndoki, then they were wrong. Ndoki came back swinging in a tweet, repeating her warning that MRC is not Kamto’s property. “Accune exclusion, aucune manoevre d’intimidation, aucune saccage de boutique pendant la nuit, aucune agression d’artiste, aucune campagne de denigration dans la réseaux sociaux n’empechera ca. Ce parti n’appartient pas a Maurice Kamto ». Roughly translated as: “No exclusion, no manoevre of intimidation, no destruction of shops in the night, no aggression of artists, no campaign of denigration in the social media will disrupt it. This party does not belong to Maurice Kamto”.

It is clear that the firebrand Michele Ndoki in her tweet also took on the Brigade anti-Sardinard, BAS, in Europe known to be a staunch supporter of Maurice Kamto, that have also now resorted to attacking the lady they used to call, Iron Lady, simply because she has declared that she will challenge Kamto for the post of National President of MRC at the party’s convention later this year.