The Yaounde Court of First Instance, yesterday October 19, 2019, declared itself incompetent to cancel the decision of the National Executive Committee (NEC), the deliberative body of the Social Democratic Front (SDF), excluding members of the party.

A total of 34 executives and activists had gone to court to demand the annulment of their exclusion from the party last February. They were accused by the party’s leadership of indiscipline for opposing several of the party’s decisions, in particular those of Vice-President Joshua Osih, who was presented as the successor to late Chairman Ni John Fru Ndi.

Under their leadership, the SDF’s elective congress to choose a new president was set for last July. This decision was also challenged in court by the excluded frondeurs. Their application to the courts was also rejected. The Yaounde Court of First Instance, ruled that such a request was “without object”.

With these court rulings, the party now has a clear path to organize its elective congress, scheduled for October 27, 28 and 29. A NEC meeting to organize this major event was held last weekend in Yaoundé, chaired by the party’s vice-president, Joshua Osih.

The ruling handed down by Yaounde’s Court of First Instance, means that front-runner Joshua Osih no longer has to worry about the return of Jean Michel Nintcheu, his main opponent within the party.