Biya’s in-law seeks another term as mayor

Mayorship. Ms Rosette Bouchouang, mother in-law of Cameroon President, Paul Biya, has been the mayor of Bangou since 2007.

Even before the primaries for the July municipal elections have been held within the ruling party to choose candidates to stand as councillors in the various council areas and municipalities, Ms Rosette Bouchouang, mother of First Lady Chantal Biya, has proclaimed herself candidate for the post of mayor in Bangou.

She has been holding that post since the 2007 municipal elections. The proclamation has been the main subject of addresses during civic receptions in the Western Region organised to thank those who voted for President Paul Biya during the October 9, 2011 presidential election.

It should be noted that to become mayor, one has to first win the primaries into a party list containing the number of councillors located by law to the council concerned. If the list eventually wins the municipal elections, councillors on the list then sit and elect one of theirs as mayor.

A relative unknown political figure before she was brought to the limelight by the Member of Parliament for Bangou in the Western Region, Mr Theodore Datouo, the First Lady’s mother, who originates from the Eastern Region of Cameroon, is married to a Bamileke from Badenkop village in Bangou sub-division where she is currently mayor. She had Chantal with a Frenchman named Vigourou but eventually got married to Mr Bouchouang.

The reasoning behind bringing her from the Eastern Region to the West to become mayor was that since she is the mother of the First Lady, she would use her influence over her daughter and her in-law Paul Biya to bring development projects to her husband’s home council area and region.

However, after almost five years in office, she is yet to bring any development projects to Bangou. “All the little projects that have been realised during her tenure were done from the little council budget. Even the road from Bangou to the Western Regional chief town of Bafoussam and those to other sub-divisional chief towns have not been tarred,” senior ruling CPDMparty bigwig in the Western Region living in Yaounde said.

“She really has not lived up to the expectations of her husband’s people which made them propel her to the limelight in the first place”, the official added.

Support
This has not stopped her political godfather, Mr Datouo to publicly declare that “We are not in the process of searching for another mayor. She is our mayor and would remain our mayor. We need her if our council area is to develop.”

Mr Datouo may not be championing the First Lady’s mother’s campaign for nothing. It is common knowledge that all candidatures for elective office in the CPDM are vetted by party leader President Paul Biya. Mr Datouo surely hopes Mayor Bouchouang’s in-law would not forget him when it is time to vet candidates on the CPDM lists for the legislative elections which come up this year.

It should be recalled that Mayor Bouchouang is one of very few mayors in the country who live out of their council’s area of jurisdiction.

Biya factor
Opposition to Mr Biya and his close family members both within the ruling party and other national institutions is always tantamount to political, social and economic suicide, thus it is almost certain nobody would dare to challenge Ms Bouchouang for the post of Mayor of Bangou Council.