Yaounde (National Times)-In 1953, a group of 13 Southern Cameroons MPs serving in the Eastern House of Assembly in Enugu, Nigeria walked out of parliament in protest of the way the majority Nigerian politicians were marginalising them and issues concerning their territory.
During the London Conference of July-August of the same year, the Southern Cameroons delegation then demanded for an autonomous region for their territory.
Following these courageous moves, the British government yielded to their demands and in 1954, elections were organized in British Southern Cameroons. The Southern Cameroons parliament then met on October 1, 1954 and Dr EML Endeley was the Premier with the seat of government, or regional capital Buea. This move laid the foundations for an autonomous Southern Cameroons territory in 1958. And on October 1 when Nigeria gained independence, the 5% budgetary funds meant for Southern Cameroons also stopped.
Taking a throwback at the Enugu event, Amba Boys believed, Social Democratic Front (SDF) Members of Parliament and Senators, most of whom hail from the Former British Southern Cameroons can also stage an Enugu-styled walkout. Their assumption is that, such would force the Biya regime and France to make drastic concessions like London and Lagos did in 1954.
However, luck seems far away from the separatists’ as Fru Ndi who was already born by 1954 thinks otherwise.
The SDF chieftain believes in the power of letter writing to Paul Biya even though he is aware he may never receive even a letter acknowledgement receipt.
In one of their visits to Cameroon, German parliamentarians surmised that, France has been blocking every international effort to end the Southern Cameroons war amicably because of its colonial past with French Cameroon. With this in mind, certainly Fru Ndi would also have to write a letter convincing Emmanuel Macron of the need to urge Biya to negotiate and end the bloodshed.
On Saturday April 27, Fru Ndi’s abductors held him for hours in an unknown location in Bui Division pressurizing him to urge his Senators and Members of Parliament serving in what they called Biya’s Assemblies to stage a walkout.
According to Chairman Fru Ndi, these Ambazonia fighters believe that a withdrawal of SDF Lawmakers would send strong signals to Paul Biya and France which they consider the main invisible hands behind the entire situation.
However, Fru Ndi rejected vehemently arguing that a withdrawal of SDF Lawmakers would also forfeit his privileged right of talking to Paul Biya and he would be unable to table the challenges of the people rightfully.
Based on this, Fru Ndi promised to send a strongly worded sealed letter to Paul Biya with more secrets which are not meant for public consumption.
For over three years now, social media fans have been clamouring for a withdrawal of SDF Lawmakers from the Yaoundé assemblies. When Honourable Joseph Mbah Ndam of the Batibo constituency cum Vice President of the National Assembly promised not to return to the Yaoundé glass house sometime in 2018 until his people are ‘free’, there was jubilation among some Anglophones .Many saw it as a direct blow to the Biya regime to soften its stance.
This was followed by the historic statement of Honourable Joseph Wirba where he argued that even a combined contingent of French and Cameroonian forces would not be able to defeat Southern Cameroonians when they would pick up arms. Despite all these, SDF lawmakers maintained their seats in parliament and have received criticisms from the population who think the bloodshed would have greatly been minimised if SDF followed the footsteps of the foundational politicians of Southern Cameroons.
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