I Was Flushed Out Of Mayoral Seat For Refusing To Play Hardball – Ex-Muyuka Mayor

The former Mayor of Muyuka Council, Michael Nkeng, on Saturday, November 28, stated that he refused “to play hardball” within the CPDM, and has also refused to leave the party like other people, because he believes that it is better to fight from within the party, so that power should be given to the grassroots and not so-called elite.

The former Mayor made the remarks on the side lines of his mother’s funeral. He said the problem within the CPDM is right at the top, where party elite are given too much power to exercise within their regional jurisdiction, and instead of doing what is good for the party, they tend to ignore the wishes of the grassroots and rather work to please their friends and displease those seen as not siding with them.

On why he was not selected to run again for the mayoral post, he said: “I am an honest person. If I say something today and you ask me five years later, I will tell you the same thing. In politics, I discovered that people think that you must play hardball, I told them ‘no’. The people elected me, and I knew that I will leave some day. I am a happy man. No matter what the political elite did, I think the failure started at the top of the party. You cannot come within a region and take the elite there to conduct a primary, they have their interests. That is what happened exactly. I will not blame anybody. For seven years, I served my people, and I am happy that, even after I left office, and with the situation now, I can still visit my people, because, I am their servant.” He added that he was the only mayor who left office with over FCFA 100 million to his successor.

Nkeng stated that it was a mistake for the CPDM to intrust regional party elite with the task of conducting primaries and coming up with candidates during the last election, because, they simply put in place those they liked, to the detriment of grassroots supporters.

On what he has as balance sheet of his mandate in Muyuka, the former Mayor said even before he came to power, he had bulldozed roads and provided pipe-borne water to several communities.  He stated that he also ensured that each community has its market, and that all communities have electricity, while roads were graded and at least a kilometre tarred within Myuyka.

On the up-coming Regional Elections, he said: “You see the so-called Regional Elections, you see what is going on, you are media people and I will not sit here to tell you what is going on. But I think, at the helm of the party, they need to start adjusting before the situation gets worse. Now, you see big guns leaving the party. It is because they are frustrated, I will not leave the party, I will stay in the party, but to be honest with you, I was very frustrated with what happened, especially in Muyuka.”

Talking about his late mother, Nkeng recounted how she was instrumental to his success, labouring through various huddles to have him educated, and guiding him all along to the successful man he became. He thanked Muyuka people and other well-wishers for coming to bid farewell to his mother. He said his mother had requested him to provide food for people come and eat when she passes on, that is why he has brought together people to celebrate her life.