Memory Lane (October 1992): A Tale of Two Presidents – Paul Biya and John Fru Ndi

By Dibussi Tande

"I have accepted the verdict of my people and I declare myself ready to assume the mission of President of the Republic that they have just confided in me" – John Fru Ndi, October 21, 1992

"I am and will remain the president of all Cameroonians without exception, and the great winner in these elections is democracy" – Paul Biya, October 23, 1992

 
The West African nation of Cote d’Ivoire is once again caught up in a political maelstrom following the controversial second round presidential elections which ended with the two contenders, Laurent Gbagbo, the outgoing President, and Alassane Ouattara, the country’s leading opposition figure and former Prime Minister, both being declared the winners.

Ouattara was first declared the winner by the country’s election commission and then the Constitutional Court stepped in a day later to declare Gbagbo the winner. The already bizarre situation got even weirder today when both candidates held competing swearing in ceremonies in the Ivorian capital of Abidjan. Actually, Ouattara sworn himself in as President, and then informed the Constitutional Court by mail... With each “president” and his supporters standing their ground, there are real fears that the country, which is just coming out of a devastating civil war, is about to be plunged into chaos once again.

As I watch the situation unfold in the Ivory Coast, my mind goes back to October 1992 when Cameroonians were faced with the same situation – a “legitimate” President, John Fru Ndi, was on the war path with a “legal” president, the incumbent Paul Biya, who was accused of having stolen Fru Ndi's victory – an accusation which resulted in Fru Ndi being placed under house arrest and a state of emergency imposed on the Northwest province, his stronghold.

Scene 1: Fru Ndi Proclaims Himself President

During a press conference in his party stronghold of Bamenda on October 21, 1992, Fru Ndi, surrounded by members of the Union for Change alliance which backed his candidacy, auto-proclaimed himself “legitimate president of Cameroon.” In his acceptance speech, Fru Ndi thanked the people of Cameroon for their sacrifices, congratulated the opposition for standing by him in spite of the persecution, and promised a new Cameroonian society based on democracy and the rule of law:

By your vote you have purged over thirty-two years of accumulated guilt putting an end to a period when less fortunate Cameroonians were marginalized and excluded from certain offices in the land. Cameroon has taught the world a lesson in democracy and our country has gained international pride from what you have done. We hope Mr. Biya will not insist to soil this image. You have closed the book on thirty-two years of dictatorship and returned power to the people. We call on Mr. Biya to be a democrat and concede defeat honourably…

 A sovereign national conference will determine the exact shape of a new constitution for our country and we will put in place the exact shape of a new constitution for our country and we will put in place a democratic electoral code including an independent electoral commission, a necessity before the first truly democratic elections may be held in our country. The sovereign national conference, far from being a military tribunal, will take stock of our past, lay the foundation for the future, so as to determine the system of our future government and guarantee representation in government for minorities.

Massive troop movements in the last few days do not dampen our enthusiasm. In a continent not known for peaceful and much less democratic transitions, our victory is simply magnificent.

Long live a united and democratic Cameroon!

Scene 2: Supreme Court Procliams Biya President

However on October 23, 1992, the Supreme Court officially announced proclaimed the incumbent Paul Biya as the winner.
 
In his post-electoral victory speech to the nation, Paul Biya told Cameroonians that:

You chose freely and you did so with dignity and responsibility. Beyond your opinions, beyond your alliances, I am and will remain the president of all Cameroonians without exception, and the great winner in these elections is democracy… together we have faced the democratic challenge, together we shall win the battle of democracy… Let us give our country and our children a future worthy of our endeavours, let us build a Cameroon within the confines of our abilities, a Cameroon united, democratic, strong and prosperous, a Cameroon with all and for all.

The rebuttal from Bamenda by the “legitimate President” was immediate and unequivocal. In a written address to the Cameroonian people, Fru Ndi thanked them for choosing him as their next president:

I have accepted the verdict of my people and I declare myself ready to assume the mission of President of the Republic that they have just confided in me. I call on the Cameroonian people, the only retainers of national sovereignty, to complete their action by making sure that their will, expressed clearly in the ballot box, is respected…Consequently, I refuse to let my people resign themselves to the situation and I resolve not to abandon them. In any event, I urge them to defend their victory by peaceful and responsible resistance.

The battle lines were thus drawn as Cameroonians nervously waited for what increasingly appeared to be an inevitable confrontation. Paul Biya in his victory speech had clearly stated that “I shall not allow anyone to stand in the way of peace” while Fru Ndi had openly called for the help of the armed forces arguing that “Our resistance is not a rebellion against a legitimate government, but the defence of the sovereignty of the people against a man and a regime that these people have rejected through the ballot box.”

18 years later, Biya is still the President of Cameroon and Fru Ndi still “opposing” hm from his stronghold in Bamenda – and they’re both warming up for yet another presidential confrontation in 2011...

The 1992 elction controversy in Cameroon is a warning to Cote d’Ivoire, a reminder that political conflicts like the one that is brewing in that country has the potential to scar the country for decades and put off real democratic reforms indefinitely. Cameroon is still paying the price of the 1992 elections which were "designed to fail" as one report put it.

Comments

[John Dinga]

Nice reminder! Of course the similarities are limited in that the present case of Ivory Coast places the opposition leader and winner in the camp of powerful regional (ECOWAS) and international (EU, UN) backing.
Incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo has a lot of odds against him especially if the international community digs its heels and sticks to the legitimate winner, Alassane Ouattara.

[Ba Forkwa (presently in Abidjan).]

Hello Dibussi, thanks for the succinct and informative piece, as always. For once, the regional body (ECOWAS) and the international community are on the same page and have acted swiftly. Alassane Ouattara has another asset in his toolkit: on Thursday evening, the 'New Forces' or rebels that control the northern part of Cote d'Ivoire, recognized Alassane Ouattara as 'Head of State' and pledged their allegiance to him. With every passing hour, it is difficult to imagine this situation could be resolved peacefully. As we Cameroonians prepare for our own presidential election in 2011, one of many lessons to draw from this unfolding saga is that when dealing with autocrats, it no longer suffices to win at the ballot box; one must be prepared to defend one's votes and one's victory by mobilizing the kind of support Ouattara has garnered in the last few days. We hope the truth prevails here.

[John Dinga]

Just one month ago, US security services arrested an Ivorian military official and his accomplice shopping for weapons in spite of the UN embargo on that African country. The arrested man's country's officials were quick to offer the lame excuse that the forces of the Opposition would beat the government forces if measures were not put in place to counter. So if that were the case, why do it in hiding and furtively behind the United Nations?

One sad eye opener is the contribution of the judiciary in keeping African dictators in office. By ignoring the electoral commission's results and proclaiming the loser president over Ivory Coast, that country's Constitutional Court has done exactly what was done in Cameroon in 1992. Why are judges so besotted to the executive?
Any wonder why citizens resort to picking up arms to seek redress when the courts fail them?

[Ashu Felix]

Good article.
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A little gift to help my Cameroonian people especially students who move from other province to school in another.
Felix Ashu A

[SJ]

"Ouattara was first declared the winner by the country’s election commission and then the Constitutional Court stepped in a day later to declare Gbagbo the winner."

The electoral commision provides provisional results. The Constitutional Court or Council provides the final results. The Constitutional Council is the only body empowered to declare the winner!

We must learn to obey the law and follow its laid down procedures and not be bambozzled by the incompetent and corrupt western media barrage attempting to place another murderous western lackey and puppet in power on the continent.

-The electoral commission had 3 days to declare the provisional results. It was unable to do so.

-The very electoral commission claimed that the voter turn out was 70% when the polls closed, but the provisional results they declared showed a participation of 81% (with over 630,000 magically re-appearing votes). This was the discrepancy that resulted in the electoral commission being unable to declare the provisional results within their legally mandated timeframe.

-The president of the electoral commission declared the provisional results at the Hotel of the puppet-to-be, under guard of the UN and rebel forces, leaving his fellow commissioners in limbo!

Ouatarra, by the admission of the rebels, is their sponsor. He has formented death and destruction with the backing of France in order to illegally take power because Gbagbo did act like Campaore, or Eyadema, or Bongo, or Biya, or Sassou Nguesso. Gbagbo wanted no part of the francafrique cabal that has kept French Africa the poorest and most repressive region on the continent filled with corrupt dictators.

Today, with the backing of France, and unbeleivably, the rudderless Obama administration under the guise of that nonsense called the "International Community", they seek to subvert Ivoirian law and constitution to illegally hand over power to a man responsible for so much death and destruction in Cote d'Ivoire.

After eight years of refusing to disarm the rebels who occupy the north, they pressured Gbagbo to conduct elections in a partitioned country to finalise their illegal power grab in Cote D'Ivoire that began in 2002.

Well, France is about to initiate another Rwanda-like scenario in west Africa because France's puppet, Ouatarra WILL NEVER GOVERN COTE D'IVOIRE. But this time, it will sorrowfully be with the active implication of another democratic administration in Washington headed by an individual who a couple of years held so much promise. What a shame.

[wantim]

I don't care who wins in Cote d'Ivoire but I am shocked out of my boots by your wild assertion that Ouattara is a "murderous lackey" while Gbagbo is just anoher African "nationalist" like Biya in 1992 against the US, Mugabe against the West in 2007. Shame on your Mr. So much for our Southern Cameroons democrats....

[SJ]

Stay shocked my friend. Obviously, you have nothing to say.

[Hongla Duke]

SJ, I am not sure which Ivorian law you've been reading. Something definitely got lost in the translation: This is what the "Ordonnance n°2008-133 du 14 avril 2008 portant ajustement électoral pour les élections générales de sortie de crise" in its Article 64 (new:

"Dans le cas où le Conseil constitutionnel constate des irrégularités de nature à entacher la sincérité du scrutin et à en affecter le résultat d'ensemble, il prononce l'annulation de l'élection et notifie sa décision à la Cei qui en informe le représentant du Secrétaire général des Nations Unies et le représentant spécial du Facilitateur à toutes fins utiles. La date du nouveau scrutin est fixée par décret pris en Conseil des ministres sur proposition de la Cei. Le scrutin a lieu, au plus tard, 40 jours à compter de la date de la décision du Conseil constitutionnel"

"Dans le cas où le Conseil constitutionnel constate des irrégularités de nature à entacher la sincérité du scrutin et à en affecter le résultat d'ensemble, il prononce l'annulation de l'élection et notifie sa décision à la Cei qui en informe le représentant du Secrétaire général des Nations Unies et le représentant spécial du Facilitateur à toutes fins utiles. La date du nouveau scrutin est fixée par décret pris en Conseil des ministres sur proposition de la Cei. Le scrutin a lieu, au plus tard, 40 jours à compter de la date de la décision du Conseil constitutionnel"

loosely translated: "In the event where the Constitutional Council determines that there have been iorregularities that have an impact on the outcome of the elections, it announces the cancellation of the elections and informs the electoral commission of its decision. the commission then informs the represntative of the UNited Nations... The date for new elections is fixed by the council of ministers at the demand of the electoral commission. The new elections must take place no later than 40 days from the decision of the constitutional council"

Fact 1: Constitutional Council determines that there were gross irregularities in 7 northern regions which have imacted on the outcome of election results

Fact 2: Council annuls results in the 7 northen region but instead of informing electoral council and UN and beginning the process of organizing new elections in these regions, it ILLEGALLY declares Gbagbo the winner without counting the Northern votes.

I have been a sympathizer of Gbagbo all along but I am also one who believes in the rule of law and on that basis, it is obvious to me that Gbabgo has been declared the winner based on Partial Results, results illegally declared by the CC. Until the results of the 7 northern regions are counted or new elections held in the region, Gbagbo will be an illegal and illegitimate president in my view - and that is the view of all right thinking people.

[SJ]

“La CEI procède aux opérations de collecte et à la proclamation des résultats provisoires du scrutin, au niveau national et en présence des représentants des candidats”, stipule l’article 59 nouveau du code électoral. “Le résultat définitif de l’élection du président de la république est proclamé par le Conseil constitutionnel, après examen des réclamations éventuelles et publié selon la procédure, dans les 7 jours de la réception des procès verbaux”, nous dit in fine l’article 94 de la Constitution ivoirienne. Enfin, en vertu de l’accord de Pretoria, le représentant spécial de l’ONU certifie le scrutin en tant qu'observateur."

Since the battle lines have been drawn, all we have to do is watch the adversaries do battle. This is a war that must be fought against France in Africa. Every generation of Africans must fight in their own way until the final victory. It took almost 500 years for African-Americans.

If France wins like they did in Cameroun, Congo-Brazza etc. they win. If the lose like the did in Rwanda, the lose!

[SJ]

Should read: "If they lose like the did in Rwanda, they lose!"

[The Observer]

So let the war between the French "murderous western lackey" and the "genocial psuedo-nationalist Ethno-fascist" begin. Make strong man helep himself.

In the meantime, when King Biya "steals" the elections in Cameroon next year a la Gbagbo, let our nationalists not come whining about "democracy" because they have obviously determined that democracy can be jettisoned if need be...

[KFW]

Democracy is not that sacrosanct...sorry.

I'll take an inept, buffoonish, barbaric 'genocidal pseudo-nationalist' baboon over a 'murderous western lackey' finance genuis.

You know the neo-liberal defenders are running out of arguments when they start injecting nthe situation in Cameroon as redherring, but as a basis to score cheap sentimental points.

Biya can rule for the next 300yrs so long as Nicolas Sarkozy, Sussan Rice, Alassane Ouatarra, the UN, the AU, France24, and all those defenders of the Imperial dominion do not get what the want: the departure of Laurent Gbagbo.

[Biya man]

KFW, democracracy is not sacrosanct so too is freedom, independence, nationalism and all the long litany of communist mirages. Biya WILL rule Cameroon for as long as his want. And Gbabgo will rule as long as he wants. Folks like us will just be giddy with excitement because Biya will be paying Cameroonian "Gbagboists" like the fake UPC and the emasculated SDF in their own coins. You can say what you want but 2011 will be an exciting time for some of us. Papa Fonf of Fons Biya I beg show dem pepper!!

[KFW]

Biya will win next year's election in Cameroon. In fact, he deserves to win,and should win...why shouldn't he? The man has put his pocket [national treasury] where his mouth is...
Alassane Ouattara, the financial wiz/messiah, will not be president of the Ivory Coast.

[evenya]

Just stumbled across this by accident: "Alassane Ouattara, the financial wiz/messiah, will not be president of the Ivory Coast." Great one for the history books!!!