Sept. 30 Twin Elections: Don’t Lose Hope-Bello Bouba Tells NUDP Unsuccessful Candidates

(NewsWatch Cameroon)-The National president of the National Union for Democracy and Progress has said the NUDP would have won more seats in the National Assembly and councils during the twin elections of last September 30, 2013 had the elections taken place in an atmosphere where there is democracy.

Bello Bouba Maigari was speaking in Yaounde on Saturday March 15 as he received New Year wishes from militants of the NUDP at the party’s head quarters.

Addressing his party comrades, the NUDP chieftain regretted that the last weeks of 2013 and the early weeks of 2014 ended on a very sad note with the party losing several of her militants to the cold hands of death, amongst whom were founding members, committed militants who sacrificed for the party, those whose activities went beyond their areas of influence etc.

Looking back at the twin elections, Minister Bello Bouba rejoiced that the mobilisation of the NUDP militants in some areas like the East, Littoral and the North West was very encouraging. “I saw a mobilisation that I had never seen since 1992”, he said. But he regretted that at the end of the day, the party could not win as many seats in the National Assembly as expected.

To the NUDP candidates who were not successful at the elections, the NUDP chair preached encouragement, urging them not to lose hope, insisting that some of them actually won but due to the flaws that marked the elections, their votes were ‘stolen’. He revealed that the party has gone into serious reflection to identify why some of them did not make it at the elections.

The NUDP competed in numerous constituencies in Cameroon as well as in a plethora of municipalities. They won 15 councils - up from the 11 the party controlled before the elections and five parliamentary seats at the National Assembly down from six during the last legislature.

Speaking to reporters after exchanging New Year wishes with his militants, Bello Bouba observed: “NUDP is alive and kicking and determined to continue organizing itself and to be prepared for the next competition”.

During the New Year wishes ceremony in Yaounde, hundreds of youths who joined the party recently were officially welcomed into the NUDP by its National Chair. The National Youth President of the NUDP, Ndansi Elvis said many more youths are joining the party, and called on the youths of Cameroon to come on board for as he puts it  “the NUDP is one of the only parties where youths can freely express their political feelings and enjoy what it takes to be a youth in politics”.

Ndansi was amongst the NUDP candidates at the September 30, 2013 elections who luck did not smile on.  “The chairman has reassured us that in another atmosphere where there is democracy and free and fair elections, the results of the NUDP party would have been even better than what we had in 1992. I think today is a great day; he has reassured the militants, those who won have been encouraged, those who did not have been encouraged to continue mobilising and we hope that in five years time, the NUDP party will bounce back to take its rightful position in the political arena of this country”.

The NUDP staged a spectacular march past in Buea during the National Youth Day on February 11 and the 50^th anniversary of reunification. Observers say it is thanks to the mobilisation prowess of the National Youth wing president who was the party’s coordinator for participation at both events.

This Article was also Published in NewsWatch Newspaper N°007