Like the National Federation, the North Regional chapter
of Cameroon's Football Federation FECAFOOT has not known peace since the
failure of John B. NDEH to assume the office of National President following
the arrest and detention of former president Iya Mohammed.
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From R-L Chi Ivo, Yong Jacques, Kaba Christopher and John B.
Ndeh
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As to how this failure impacted the NW chapter is a story for another time but for now the presiding events and the current state of affairs breeds some uncertainty as the new normalisation of Barrister Dieudonné Happi steps in to order the return to the 2009 executive.
According
to internal rules and regulations of FECAFOOT, once elected into the national
bureau you are expected to relinquish any regional function which you had
within the federation. By this provision John B. Ndeh who was elected National
vice president of Iya Mohammed had relinquished is regional office as president
to his first vice Fortibuh Hillary who was his first vice at the regional.
Fortibuh Hillary now had to work with his immediate collaborator Kaba
Christopher who was unanimously elected by the then executive board as the
regional secretary following the the statues of the federation.
By
simple understanding these people were working or were supposed to work
together. Unfortunately in 2015 after the appointment of the Joseph Owona led
normalisation commission, elections were announced in the Northwest region with
Tambe Jonathan as coordinator and the presumption that they were working
together was quickly washed away as Kaba Christopher emerged as presidential
candidate against his former boss John B. Ndeh.
From
the way things went coupled with an epistle fired by John B. Ndeh dissociating
himself from the elections of that day and presented self as respecter of state
institutions including the chamber of Conciliationon and arbitration of the
national Olympic and sports committee on election day, it is now clear things
had gone sour between the two though Kaba kept giving the impression that John
B. Ndeh was his father and he respected him that much.
From
then till date Kaba Christopher has been running FECAFOOT NW as John B. Ndeh
watches from a distance. The most recent decision of the normalisation
committee to reinstate the 2009 board and executive board of regional and
divisional offices of FECAFOOT across the country Including NW announces
unclear circumstances as John B. Ndeh takes office to sit on same board with
Kaba Christopher who is not only board member but then secretary General.
The
board of the federation in the NW as at 2009 had as President John B. Ndeh,
Vice Fortibuh Hillary, Secretary General Kaba Christopher, assistant SG Mbanwi
Philip, and Treasurer Tabali Bernard. While others were nowhere to be found,
Fortibuh Hillary stood by Kaba during the 2015 elections implying the
willingness to stand with Kaba and not John B. Ndeh and for others no one can
say where they went to or where they stand. As to how they will manage
themselves in the board now is a complex speculation. There are however already
rumours in circulation about John B. Ndeh's determination to kick Kaba
Christopher out of the board for betrayal of loyalty.
On
the other hand since the creation of the normalisation committee, postulants
have been emerging with interest to lead the regional football body. Grapevine
talks of Chi Ivo president of regional division two team Grassland FC of Nkwen,
Yong Jacques president of Yong Sports Academy, Immediate past president Kaba
Christopher and founder of Santos FC, and now John B. Ndeh whose ambition for
national office can only be backed by a regional executive ticket have declared
to run for office of FECAFOOT NW president. While age seems to be eliminating
the later, Kaba Christopher is battling with several scandals from club
presidents and referees in the region. Yong Jacques and Chi Ivo seem to be the
dark horses in the race that may even turn deadly but their support for the
game of football and residence may draw the line if other dark houses will not
resurface. They will however need to convince the over 15 board members of 2009
if they are included in the Electoral College to have them in office since most
of them never had teams at the regional level then.
At
the time of this report no meeting or effective takeover by the newly
reinstated body has not been announced. Uncertainty seems to be looming
everywhere.