Uncertainty On Whether G 27+ Members Are Willing To Join Jean Michel Nintcheu’s FCC

Uncertainty On Whether G 27+ Members Are Willing To Join Jean Michel Nintcheu’s FCC

Nintcheu Has Not Created A New Party, But Has Rather Revived His Old Party, RAP

Back In June, THE MENTOR Disclosed That Nintcheu Was Scheming To Use G 27+ To Revive His Old Party

That Was Why Unlike The Other G 27+ Members, Nintcheu Wasn’t Interested In Reconciliation To Return To The SDF

The Name, Front For Change In Cameroon, Seems To Also Target The SDF

There has been some talk that the former Littoral Regional Chairman of the SDF, Hon Jean Michel Nintcheu, has created a new party known as Front for Change in Cameroon, FCC. But many people got confused when the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, recently published the list of 40 new political parties in the country, and the Front for Change in Cameroon, FCC, did not feature on that list. A popular Douala-based CPDM Communication Officers Elie Zang Zang, still raised the issue in an interview he granted to an online publication on Saturday, December 2, 2023. He noted that FCC was not on the list of the 40 new legalised political parties that the Minister of Territorial Administration, recently released.
It should first be recalled that Hon Jean Michel Nintcheu, was one of the leaders of the dissident group in the SDF, the self–proclaimed G 27+ that were sacked from the party by the resolution of the National Executive Committee, NEC, that held in Yaounde on February 25, 2023 . The NEC meeting that was presided over by the then National Chairman of the SDF, Ni John Fru Ndi (now of blessed memory), had charged the over 30 members of the party of anti–party activities, punishable by Article 8.2 of the party, which means self – exclusion.
It is also worthy of note that Jean Michel Nintcheu, and his younger brother, Brice Nintcheu, in 1992 created and leagalised a political party known as ‘Rassemblement pour la Patrie’, RAP. Along the line, precisely in 1996, Jean Michel Nintcheu decided to join the SDF with his party, RAP. By then Nintcheu had not yet even launched RAP. Brice Nintcheu who has been in Europe for quite a number of years now, refused to follow the senior brother to the SDF, and opted to go solo as a political activist. Brice Nintcheu is today well known for his strong anti-Biya regime stance.

Change Of Party’s Name

Meanwhile, talking about Hon Nintcheu’s, alleged creation of a political party, the fact is that he has not created a new party. Rather, Nintcheu has simply changed the name of his old party, ‘Rassemblement pour le Patrie’, RAP, which was created way back in 1992, to Front for Change in Cameroon, FCC. Hon Nintcheu’s long-time close collaborator and member G 27+, Jean Robert Wafo, that THE MENTOR contacted, confirmed the change of name of RAP to FCC, arguing that: “La denomination d’un parti politique depend des constraints et de context de movement”. He meant that the naming of a political party depends on the need, the context or the situation of the moment.
So according to Wafo, the former name, RAP, which was more of a patriotic call for Cameroonians to come together or to unite for the interest of the fatherland, does not suit in the situation of Cameroon today. That what the fatherland needs today is a fight to rescue the country which is hanging at the precipice, from crashing into the valley. Thus, what is needed today is a fight to urgently bring change to the country, and thus the party, Front for change in Cameroon.

The Change Of Name Targets The SDF

However, political observers and analysts would see Nintcheu’s Front for Change in Cameroon as a sort of plagiarism of the SDF programme or slogan, which over the years has been to fight for change, even though there have been questions about SDF’s claim to have been fighting for change over the years. Many people have been questioning whether the fight for change has been the change to the lives of militants who have become MPs and mayors, or it is still the fight to bring genuine change to Cameroon for the interest of the country and its people as the party declared at its very beginning.
That aside, what is also clear to political observers, is that in renaming his party as Front for Change in Cameroon, Nintcheu also targets the SDF which is a Front. The Social Democratic Front has over the years been trying to position itself as the Front for the Fight for Change in Cameroon. Nintcheu is out now to give the impression that the SDF has failed as the Front to fight for change in Cameroon, and that is why his FCC has come to take over the mission.

The Law Authorises A Political Party To Change Its Name

Meanwhile, THE MENTOR contacted the Douala based Barrister Ashu Emmanuel Agbor, who is also the National President of the Reform Party, to get clarification as to whether the Law authorizes the change of name of a political party, as Hon Jean Michel Nintcheu has done. Barrister Ashu said the Law that considers a political party as an association, creates provision that gives a political party or an association, the possibility for the name to be changed if the members so decide.
Barrister Ashu explained that what the Law requires, for the name of a political party or an association to be changed, is that the decision is taken at the General Assembly of the party or association, and that the Ministry of Territorial Administration is formally informed. He recalled that the name of the political party of Barrister Jean a Dieu Momo (current Minister Delegate at the Ministry of Justice and Keeper of the Sea), which is today known as PADEEC, initially had a different name which Momo later changed.
However the reaction of the Ministry of Territorial Administration is not yet known, since FCC has seemingly not yet requested for clearance by a DO, to hold a meeting. Considering the way that the current Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji operates, it will not be surprising that Nintcheu’s FCC may want to hold a public meeting, and the administration says the party is not known.

How Nintcheu Schemed To Use G 27+ To Revive His Party

Meanwhile, back in June 2023, THE MENTOR hinted in an article, Cracks On The Wall Of The Dissident Group, G 27+, that Hon Jean Michel Nintcheu was scheming to use members of the G 27+, to revive his old political party, RAP. THE MENTOR disclosed that Nintcheu had proposed to the G 27+ members who were dismissed from the SDF last February that they should forget about the SDF, create another party, and move on. Many of the members then rejected Nintcheu’s proposal. But as THE MENTOR further disclosed in the analysis, some sources had hinted that Nintcheu was instead scheming to use the G 27 + members to revive his old political party, RAP. Some people might not have believed then, but that has come to pass.
It was clear from the very beginning of the crisis in the SDF, that went public with the holding of an illegal meeting in Mbouda by the dissident G 27 Group, and the irrational decision they took to drag the SDF leadership to court, and that finally led to the sacking of over 30 dissents by NEC on February 25, 2023, that Nintcheu had his personal political agenda. The secret agenda was that either Nintcheu took over the leadership of the SDF after Ni John Fru Ndi and attached it to Maurice Kanto and his MRC, or he revive his old party and attach it to Kamto’s MRC.

Nintcheu Went Against The Position Of G 27+

Unfortunately many members of the dissident group, G 27 +, including the ‘official’ leader of the group, Chief Senator Tchatchouang Paul, did not quickly realise that Nintcheu’s had an agenda. When members of G 27+ were dismissed from the SDF by NEC on February 25, 2023, Hon Nintcheu immediately wrote to the Secretary General of the National Assembly, saying that he had taken note of the NEC decision, and was no longer a member of the SDF. He said the National Assembly should thus immediately stop the deduction from his monthly pay package that was being channelled to the account of the SDF. Hon Nintcheu by that declaration went against the position of the group, G 27+, which was to challenge the February 25, 2023 decision taken by NEC, to dismiss them from the SDF.
But Nintcheu did not end there. At the March session of parliament when the new Bureau of the National Assembly had to be ‘elected’ as is done annually, Hon Nintcheu strongly supported the PCRN Party in the demand that the post of Questor that was occupied by the SDF, precisely by Hon Joshua Osih, should go to Hon Cabral Libii of PCRN. It should be noted that SDF and the young PCRN came out of the February 9, 2020 Legislative Elections, with 5 parliamentary seats each. But considering that SDF was the older party among the two, the SDF got the post of Questor, while PCRN, precisely its leader, Cabral Libii, was given the post of Secretary in the Bureau of the National Assembly.
But during the ‘election’ of members of the Bureau of the National Assembly in March 2023, the PCRN with the strong support of Nintcheu, argued that Nintcheu had been sacked from the SDF, and that the SDF had dropped to four MPs, and so the post of Questor should go to PCRN with five MPs. That however did not work, because there is no Independent MP in Cameroon’s National Assembly. And so even if a party fires a militant who is an MP, it does not cancel the fact that the MP in question entered the National Assembly for that Legislature, on the platform or ticket of a political party, and has to remain so till the end of the Legislature.

Big Embarrassment To G 27+

Meanwhile, Hon Nintcheu’s repeated declaration that he had been dismissed from the SDF, and so was no longer a member of the party, was a big embarrassment to the other members of the G 27+ like Barrister Tsapy Joseph Lavoisier, who were arguing that the February 25, 2023 decision to sack them from SDF was illegal, and were then battling in a Yaounde Court, praying the court to annul the NEC decision.
Even the lead SDF lawyer in the case, Barrister Djomgang Adeline Lord, who was then also the Secretary General of the party, used a copy of the letter which Hon Nintcheu addressed to the Secretary General of the National Assembly, against the G 27+ in court. The SDF lawyer presented a copy of the letter in court, and pointed out that Nintcheu whose name was on the list of those sacked SDF militants (G 27+), that had dragged the SDF leadership to court claiming they were still members of the SDF, had already declared that he was no longer a member of the SDF.

Yaounde Court Ruling Frustrates G 27+ Members

It should be noted that a few days before the Elective National Convention of the SDF which held in Yaounde in late October 2023, the Yaounde Court that for over six months had been handling the case that was filed by the G 27+, ruled that it was incompetent to handle the matter. This was considered a victory for the SDF, as the party’s lawyers had insisted in court that the decision to dismiss the over 30 members ( G 27+) from the party, which in actual fact, was the application of the party’s Article 8.2 (self-expulsion for anti–party activities), was an internal matter of the political party. The SDF lawyers had thus argued that the court was not competent to handle the matter.

Nintcheu Hurriedly Announced The Arrival Of FCC

It was not for nothing that Hon Nintcheu announced the coming of FCC at the time he did in October, which was shortly after the Yaounde Court declared that it was not competent to handle the case that was filed by the G 27+. Some people thought that NIntcheu announced the coming of FCC to coincide with the National Convention of the SDF that was to be held a few days later. That was probably one of the reasons. But the main reason was that Ninthcheu announced the coming of FCC at that time, as a strategy to try to bring on board his revived party, members of the G 27+ that had back in June rejected his proposal for another party, but who were stranded after the Yaounde Court decision on their case.
There is no doubt that a few members of the G 27+ like Jean Robert Wafo (former member of the SDF Shadow Cabinet) that has been close to Nintcheu for long. There is also another tribesman, Ngoualem Rodrugue Carlos, who Nintcheu used his post as Littoral Regional Chairman, to manipulate and make him Chairman of the Douala V Electoral District. Nintcheu actually robbed Abel Elimbi Lobe (a Sawa) of the post. Ngoualem is likely to follow Nintcheu on board FCC.

Uncertainty Remains About G 27+ members

But as to whether other G 27+ members like Senator Tchatchouang Paul, Hon Yoyo Emmanuel, Prof Kofele Kale, Senator Jean Tsomelou, Hon Paul Nji Tumasang, Barrister Tsapy Joseph Lavoisier, Mme Kambiwa Chantal have followed Hon Nintcheu to FCC, remains to be seen. So far, FCC has not publicly held any meeting, and Senator Tchatchouang, Hon Yoyo, Barrister Tsapy and other members of the G 27+, have not made any public statement following the decision of the Yaounde Court as well the coming of Nintcheu’s FCC. So it is not clear whether they have joined the FCC or not.
Likely, the decision by G 27+ members on what to do next would be taken on an individual basis. Some G 27+ members may decide to follow Nintcheu to FCC, some may decide to directly join Prof Maurice Kamto’s MRC or other political parties. Some may decide to instead try to return to the SDF, and some can even decide to abandon party politics and focus on other things. So far FCC has not held any meeting, which would have permitted political observers to know whether all or most of the G 27 + members have gone on board the FCC. The Coordinator of the G 27 +, Senator Tchatchouang has been silent since the decision of the Yaounde Court in October.
Jean Michel Nintcheu himself has not made any direct pronouncement as to whether G 27+ members are on board FCC. In an interview granted Jeune Afrique Magazine, he claimed that many militants of the FCC are former militants of the SDF, but made no mention of G 27+.