Senate Bureau: Who replaces Fon Njifua, Nkwain?

Yaounde, Cameroon—The 2015 legislative year has opened both at the lower and upper houses of parliament. The March session of parliament that opened in both houses last Thursday March 12, 2015 is traditionally devoted to the election of bureau members of the two legislative institutions for a one year mandate.

Late Senator Njifua

Section II of the standing orders of the senate states that the permanent bureau of the house is made up of 17 members; a president, one first vice president, four vice presidents, three questors and eight secretaries.

As the house prepares to elect a president and other members of the bureau, observers are already asking the question; who will replace Senator Fon Fontem Njifua?

Late senator Njifua who died last year was one of the Questors of the pioneer bureau of the house that was elected last June 2013 and reelected last March 2014. Although his replacement as senator can only be through by-elections, his replacement as Questor of the bureau has to be effected this March, given that it is the first elective session since the Questor died.

While critics say the election of the bureau will just be a mere formality with a possible reelection of the rest of the surviving 16 members, it is highly expected that another senator from the Southwest region will replace the late senator Fon Lucas Fontem Njifua as Questor at the bureau.

Ahead of the election, some names that are being muted around the CPDM party headquarters as possible successors of Fon Njifua include Daniel Matute, Chief Tabetando and Otte Andrew Mofa.

In the meantime, the house will also need to elect a new chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee to replace late Senator Bochong Francis Nkwain. Here also it is rumoured around the CPDM party headquarters that it could be Fon Doh of Bali or Wallang David of Wum.

But who eventually succeeds Njifua at the bureau and Nkwain as chair of the Foreign Affairs committee of the senate is still a matter of wait and see.

There are six political parties represented at the senate-CPDM, SDF, UNDP, ANDP, FNSC and MDR. Going by prorata, the bureau will still be CPDM dominated.

The Senate was created in 1996 after an amendment to the constitution created the upper chamber. The President of the Senate who is the second personality according to state protocol is also the constitutionally designated successor to the President of the Republic in case of a vacancy in the latter office.

By Ndi Eugene Ndi