In a rare and striking critique, journalist Xavier Messe expressed deep concern over recent political moves involving the Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic (SGPR), Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh.
Speaking on the Bnews 1 program Le Club, Messe questioned the unprecedented role Ngoh Ngoh has taken in directly engaging with regional leaders of the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) during an election period.
Messe underscored the traditional boundaries expected of senior civil servants like the SGPR.
“If the mobilization comes from this senior official, it’s still quite worrying,” he said.
“I think that the Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic or the Minister of State in charge of universities are very senior officials who have a lot of work to do and who are not linked to a political apparatus.”
He stressed that the CPDM, as a well-established political party, already has capable high-ranking officials to lead campaign efforts. “At an election time, it’s the candidates who solicit people.
We have to reach out to these people, we have to go to the field, we have to get to know the realities on the ground,” Messe emphasized, drawing a clear line between political campaigning and administrative roles.
Highlighting the unprecedented nature of the situation, the journalist remarked, “So when you bring in the leaders who are on the ground, you reverse the movement a little, and that’s quite worrying.
As far as I can remember, I’ve never seen a Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic go campaigning and mobilize voters on the ground.
I’ve never seen it.
This is the first time I’ve seen it.”
Messe’s commentary raises important questions about the separation of government administration and party politics in Cameroon, especially as the nation approaches critical electoral contests.
The active involvement of senior state officials in direct voter mobilization signals a departure from established norms, sparking debate about the future conduct of political campaigns.
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