By Boris Esono Nwenfor
BUEA, PAV – Officials of the Social Democratic Front in Bamenda, the capital city of the North West Region, have called for renewed political mobilisation and a determined push to reclaim the Bamenda II Council from the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement.
The call was made on May 26, as the opposition party celebrated its 36th anniversary. The anniversary celebration took place in Bamenda II and was led by the electoral district chairman, Ezekiel Nji Chi, who used the occasion to officially launch what he described as “Operation Take Back Bamenda II Council.”
Founded in 1990 in Bamenda under the leadership of the late Ni John Fru Ndi, the SDF has remained one of Cameroon’s most prominent opposition parties for more than three decades.
Addressing militants and sympathisers, Nji Chi declared that Bamenda II remains a traditional stronghold of the SDF and stressed that the party must regain control of the council during the upcoming municipal elections.
The SDF lost the Bamenda II Council to the CPDM during the February 9, 2020, municipal elections, ending the opposition party’s long-standing dominance in the subdivision.
As part of the anniversary activities, party officials urged supporters to massively register on the electoral roll ahead of future elections. Nji Chi reminded party militants that voter registration remains open until August 31, 2026. Commemorative activities began at Liberty Square, popularly known as City Chemist Roundabout, where six militants lost their lives during the launch of the SDF in 1990.
Speaking at the symbolic site, Nji Chi paid tribute to the fallen militants, whom he described as martyrs of democracy and multipartism in Cameroon. “We are at Liberty Square, and it is only right to honour the six martyrs who sacrificed their lives for democracy and multipartism, freedoms we now enjoy, though not fully. We invoke their spirit for blessings and will never forget them,” he said.
Following the tribute ceremony, SDF militants and supporters marched through major streets in Bamenda, including Commercial Avenue, T-Junction, Hospital Roundabout, GMI and Brasseries Junction.
The procession later ended at the residence of the late Ni John Fru Ndi, where party supporters gathered for refreshments and further commemorative activities. Despite political challenges and internal struggles over the years, party leaders maintained that the SDF remains committed to defending democracy, political freedoms and grassroots participation in governance.
The anniversary celebrations also served as a reminder of the party’s historic role in the reintroduction of multiparty politics in Cameroon and its continued ambition to remain a major political force in the country.
