Cameroon: Is Hon. Joshua Osih’s Stay at SDF Coming to an End?

By Boris Esono Nwenfor

In the next couple of weeks, the career of Hon Joshua Osih as a member of the opposition Social Democratic Front (SDF) Party will be decided. His future with the party is up in the air after a case against him was declared “admissible” by the National Executive Council of the party during their last meeting.

The SDF’s NEC meeting on May 8 at the party’s headquarters in Yaounde found complaints against the former presidential candidate admissible. The complaint comes from the Littoral bureau who dissociated itself from all his acts deemed contrary to the party.

Joshua Osih, Vice President and MP for Wouri Centre is accused by the SDF Littoral Bureau of anti-party activities. A charge the Member of Parliament denies. He is said to have left the NEC meeting before its conclusion to catch up with travel plans.

The MP is accused of various wrongdoings such as signing a petition with the ruling CPDM. Joshua Osih signed a petition addressed to the American Parliamentarians on the subject of the expulsion of Cameroonians illegally present in the United States, something Jean Michel Nintcheu and Osih has clashed on.

He is also under suspicion of collusion with the regime in power; the poor management of the 2018 Presidential campaign; his rebellion against the NEC resolutions of March 13 through the organization of a media campaign in defiance of the NEC.

 “We do not use an instrument of parliamentary diplomacy to resolve problems within a party. The ill-intentioned individual wanted to believe that the signature of SDF deputies on a document approved by CPDM deputies was a betrayal. This is not the case… The SDF defends the Republic. I belong to that homeless man. Those who want to make belief the region of Paul Biya to the fatherland are mistaken,” Joshua Osih told Jeune Afrique in an interview.

“If you give it back to me tomorrow, I’ll sign it again. Those who play with people's lives by fuelling this war for political ends must be stopped. It’s dangerous and smelly,” Joshua Osih added.

Hon. Osih was equally instructed to prepare the report of the last Presidential, Parliamentary and Municipal elections that were managed under his supervision and make them ready for appraisal and discussion in the next NEC meeting.

Apart from the above-mentioned resolutions, the party has called on the Littoral Regional chairman, Hon. Jean Michel Nintcheu to desist from trying to execute the provisions of article 8.2 when his request has been accepted for evaluation.

Hon. Jean Michel Nintcheu and Hon. Joshua Osih has been having a well-documented fight with accusations and counter-accusations. The saga has been playing out in the open with many factions forming between the two well-known SDF politicians.

The National Bureau has equally called on all members to strictly respect the party's communiqué put out by the Secretary-General with regards to carrying internal debates to the media.

The case has been file with the legal affairs Committee who now have barely three weeks to adjudicate on the matter. The case may see Joshua Osih being given the famous article 8.2 which excludes all militants who go against the text of the party.

Other personalities from the party who have been removed from the party using Article 8.2 includes Mahamat Souleyman, former first VP Pierre Kwemo, Madadi Sadi and Benard Muna. And if Hon Joshua Osih is found guilty he too may likely be removed from the party.