The PCRN Affair (Part 2): Last Year, MINAT Boss Addressed A Controversial Correspondence To The Managing Director of ELECAM, Claiming That KONA Robert Was The Proxy Of PCRN

 Last month, there were conflicting signals, creating more confusion. It was Pa KONA Robert that was invited to attend May 20 celebration in Yaounde, as President of PCRN.

 But at the same time, the MINAT Boss, unlike in 2023, allowed the PCRN Congress that Hon Cabral LIBII NGUE convened for May 23 – 24, 2025, to hold

The Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, who is seen to be the principal backer of Kona Robert in the conflict with Hon Cabral Libii Ngue over PCRN, addressed a highly controversial correspondence dated May 15, 2024 to the Managing Director of the elections organizing body in Cameroon, Elections Cameroon (ELECAM). The minister’s correspondence in French, read:  “Objet: Mandataire du Parti Politique denomme – ‘Parti Camerounais pour la Reconciliation Nationale’.

Monsieur le Directeur General, J’ai l’honneur de vous faire connaitre que le Parti Politique denomme ‘Parti Camerounais pour la Reconciliation Nationale’, PCRN, a pour President Fondateur, Monsieur KONA Robert”.

In a nutshell, Minister Atanga Nji in the correspondence addressed to the Managing Director of ELECAM, told him that the proxy of PCRN, is Kona Robert, whom he presented as the Founding President of the party. But it should be noted that there has never been any post in the Constitution or text of the PCRN, known as Founding President. It is the same thing with the minister’s party, the CPDM. The post of Founding President does not exist in the CPDM.  Just like with the PCRN, the leader of the CPDM is the National President. Kona Robert declared himself Founding President of PCRN, when he sparked off the conflict with the National President of the party, Cabral Libii Ngue in 2023.

Worthy of note as well that the Minister of Territorial Administration addressed the controversial correspondence to the Managing Director of ELECAM, when the matter between Kona Robert and Cabral Libii was in court, precisely at the Court of First Instance, Kaele.  Also, the matter in court was filed by the minister’s man, Kona Robert, fondly known as Pa Kona.

PCRN Was Barred From Participating In May 20 Celebrations Last Year

Meanwhile Paul Atanga Nji, the head of the Ministry of Territorial Administration commonly known by the French acronym, MINAT, gave the same information and instruction to local administrative authorities across the country. That led to PCRN, which had been taking part in different localities in official preparations for the national day celebration (May 20) last year, to be finally barred by the local administrative authorities from taking part in the march past. The SDO of Mfoundi, DJIKDENT Emmanuel Mariel, for example, addressed a correspondence to the Mfoundi Divisional Coordinator of the PCRN on May 15, 2024, in which he first saluted the active participation of the party in preparations for the celebration of the 52nd edition of the national day. But the SDO said unfortunately PCRN would not be allowed to take part in the May 20 march past, because of internal dissension in the party, susceptible to disturbing public order and the festivity.

Minister Atanga Nji Likens Cabral Libii To A Babysitter

The MINAT Boss,  Atanga Nji, continued his controversial support for Kona Robert whom he considered as the owner of PCRN. He went to the extent to declare to Regional Governors during a meeting in Yaounde, that the problem between Kona Robert and Cabral Libii Ngue, was like the case of a mother who leaves her child in the care of a babysitter, and when she comes to take back her child, the babysitter refuses, and claims that the child belongs to her. To the minister, the mother of the child in this case is Kona Robert, while the babysitter who was trying to steal the child that was entrusted to his care is Cabral Libii. The MINAT Boss by this meant that the PCRN was Kona Robert’s thing, and that he left the party to Cabral Libii just as caretaker.

The MINAT Boss was by this reiterating to the Governors and their collaborators in the regions like SDOs and DOs, that the real leader of the PCRN according to him, was Kona Robert.  It should be noted that this directive that was given to the Governors by their minister, has led Hon Cabral Libii to encounter lots of problems with some overzealous administrative authorities in some parts of the country. Last Aril for example, the Governor of the Adamawa Region even barred Hon Cabral Libii from entering the region for a book launch.

MINAT Boss Formally Receives Kona Robert

Meanwhile on Friday, January 31, 2025, the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, formally received Kona Robert in his office, insisting that he was the leader of PCRN.  Kona declared that PCRN will support the candidacy of President Paul Biya at the 2025 presidential election. Of course considering what the same minister did with the CPP of Edith Kahbang Walla at the 2018 presidential election, many people had suspected that the minister, who is also a CPDM official, was out to do the same thing with PCRN.

It should be noted that Pa Kona went along to see the MINAT boss, together with the Mayors of the PCRN – run Makak and Matomb Caouncils in the Nyong and Kelle Division, who, he has been falsely claiming are elites of the PCRN that are behind him, in the fight against Cabral Libii over the party’s leadership. But the fact of the matter is that the two mayors were dismissed as militants from the PCRN for anti – party activities, even before the conflict between Pa Kona and Cabral Libii erupted. In fact the Mayor of Makak who appeared in a panel discussion over Vision 4 Tv on Sunday, February 2, 2025, which was two days after the meeting with the minister, explained that he had in reality long ceased to be a militant of PCRN, following his dismissal from the party.  He added that he and a number of persons had also since created their own party known as ‘La Republicaine’.

 Congress That Was Scheduled To Hold in Kribi In December 2023, Was Blocked

Meanwhile it would also be recalled that the second ordinary congress of PCRN that Cabral Libii, in his capacity as the National President of the party, scheduled for Kribi, Ocean Division of the South Region in early December 2023, was blocked at the last minute from holding. The PCRN had deposited a declaration to hold at the congress at the office of the DO of Kribi II, and the DO had issued an official authorization for the congress to hold.  But following instructions that definitely came from the Minister of Territorial Administration, the same DO issued a correspondence banning the congress from holding, on the pretext that there was a conflict over the leadership of party, and that the congress thus posed a threat to public order.

It was really a devastating blow to the Cabral Libii team. The organizing committee of the congress had already made all the necessary reservations in Kribi, and some delegates to the PCRN congress from the Diaspora, had already arrived the country

 Conflicting Signals Sent Out

Last month, the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, who has been strongly backing Kona Robert in the conflict over the leadership of the PCRN, sent out conflicting signals. The invitation that was meant for the National President of the PCRN to take part in the 20 May celebration in Yaounde, was addressed to Pa Kona Robert. Also, unlike last year, PCRN under Cabral Libii’s leadership was allowed to take part in the May 20 march past, in different localities across the country.

In the nation’s capital, Yaounde, where the President of the Republic, Paul Biya, presided over the march past at the 20^th May Boulevard, it was Pa Kona Robert that sat on the seat which was reserved for the President of PCRN.   Hon Cabral Libii was also present at the ground stand, though as a member of the Bureau of the National Assembly.  But Pa Kona Robert found himself in a very embarrassing and humiliating situation, when PCRN militants, led by one of the female MPs of the party, had to march pass the ground stand. He could not stand up as other party leaders did to greet their militants.  The CRTV camera showed Pa Kona sitting down and starring at the PCRN militants as if they were some strange people.

Meanwhile, unlike what he did in December 2023 to the National President of PCRN, Hon Cabral Libii Ngue, by blocking the holding of the second ordinary congress of the party which he scheduled for Kribi, the same Minister Atanga Nji allowed the second ordinary congress of PCRN which Cabral Libii rescheduled for Nkolo III in Nkolafamba Sub –division, Centre Region from May 23 – 2024, 2025, to hold. The congress was attended among many others by members of the small group that created the PCRN, with the exception of Kona Robert.

Pa Kona invited to attend the May 20 celebration in Yaounde as the purported leader of PCRN, and at the same time allows a congress convened by Hon Cabral Libii as leader of PCRN to hold. What confusion!