SDF NEC Slams Indefinite Suspension on Kwemo, Noumba; Others Expelled

The National Executive Committee, NEC, of the Social Democratic Front, SDF, party has slammed two of its prominent members in the West Region with indefinite suspension sentences, barely falling short of expelling them using the dreaded Article 8.2.

The decision was arrived at during the body’s statutory meeting last Saturday, Jan. 30 at the National Chairman’s residence in Bamenda.Former Deputy Speaker at the National Assembly and current First Vice Chairman of the party, Pierre Kwemo and Honourable Serge Simeon Noumba, MP for the Mifi have been asked to suspend all activities related to the party till further notice. Both men were accused and found guilty of fomenting trouble within the ranks of the party in the West and for anti-party activities.

It should be noted that Kwemo has been dismissed twice and re-instated into the party. Since he lost his parliamentary seat in 2007, he seems to be at odds with party hierarchy and many within the ranks of the party blame him for the messy situation of the party in the West Region where he has been trying to impose his surrogates on party structures.

Hon. Noumba, on his part, rebelled against the party during the designation of mayors after the 2007 elections. Breaking what many say was an accord between him and Barrister Joseph Lavoisier Tsapy, Hon. Noumba, whom many accuse to have sold out the other MP seat, backed a Bafoussam native for the post of Mayor. NEC had on the contrary invested Barrister Tsapy. Noumba’s candidate, Cyrill Ngnang won the elections as Mayor for Bafoussam I, to the changrin of Tsapy and NEC.

During last May 20 celebrations which the party boycotted, Noumba is alleged to have sponsored some  party militants to march. Not done, he openly declared his candidacy to run under the SDF ticket for the 2011 presidential election. Hon. Noumba was later on slammed 8.2 by the Coordinating team of the West headed by former MP Jean Robert Keyanfe. It has taken NEC over six months to either confirm or reject this decision. While many within NEC were for the outright dismissal of Noumba, his greatest supporters were parliamentarians who for fear of losing the Parliamentary Group were passionate on the matter.

While Kwemo and Noumba survived the 8.2, the outgone West Provincial Chairman Romouald Tamo and some of his cohorts were not lucky as NEC slammed them with 8.2. Still on discipline, the file of Mr. Louis Shalo was handed to NEC as the legal department washed its hands-off the matter. NEC is to try Shalo during its next meeting. NEC also confirmed the re-organisation in the North West which saw the come-back of Kum Henry as Chairman and also confirmed Lawrence Tafon as District Chairman of Limbe I.

By Norbert Wasso Binde