By Christopher Talla Aghaa
UPDATE, Kumba, Southwest Region, Cameroon……………About 150 Lawyers in Meme Division under the Canopy of the Meme Lawyers Association, MELA will be going to the polls come Saturday October 15th,2016 for elections that will vote a new executive to replace the former headed by Barrister Awutah Philip Atubah.
The Barrister Awutah’s mandate led executive that was voted in August 2014 came to end on the 31st August 2016, though renewable ones the incumbent President whose footprint can’t be underestimated in the association decided to abdicate allow fresh blood to carry the association. Following these new twist Members of the association have been having sleepless nights as to who to wear Barrister Awutah’s shoes. The politicking is aplenty and the legal luminaries are confused on who to vote come D-day. As the countdown narrows not more than four candidates have manifested their intentions to gun for the coveted position as President. The presidential aspirants include: Barristers Eyambe Elias Ebai of the Eyambe –Ebai Law Chambers,Mbi Jones of Solomon Law Firm, Mpako Jacob of Mpako and Associate Law Chambers and Barrister Aba Nelson of Amumba Law Firm.
The candidates, according to sources from the Electoral College, Meme Lawyers are confused on whom to cast their votes. As the electoral commission presently setting up elections modalities taking into consideration the constitution of MELA, the candidates according to the voting population have equall opportunities to emerge victorious.
The primo candidate to call a spade a spade and declare his intentions to call on his colleagues of the noble and respectable profession to vote him as President of MELA is Barrister Eyambe Elias Ebai, head of the Eyambe –Ebai Law Chambers. Barrister Eyambe Elias Ebai, has been in the business for about 20 years and has held several position in MELA executive for close to 13 years both Organizing Secretary and Public Relations officer. Former Representative of the President of the General Assembly of the Cameroon Bar Association for about five years. Most of his colleagues hold him in high esteem as the best man to pilot the association.
Moderator of the highly heralded Meme Lawyers Association Forum of Whatsapp in the social media, wherein legal issues are being exchanged, he is remembered as the one who moderated and coordinated the protest match on the Penal Code that yielded fruits. He sees the Association as a veritable watch dog that will help frog jump legal practice in the division. A project and the need for the organization of seminars amongst lawyers and making sure those charlatans are wiped out the profession is on his table. Dying for the profession is his major issue and sees no reasons why Lawyers should be placed at the background in decision making. Barrister Eyambe’s dream to pilot MELA is almost completed but for the fact that he has a measure challenger who is ready to give him a good run for his money. He is no other legal guru than Barrister Mbi Jones.
With about 20 years in the business, reports say he has all it takes to lead the association. His admirers believed so much in his manifesto that is in circulation. Having served MELA as Treasurer for about 13 years with clean records as he boasts with frontline administrative and management positions in many association in the country, he maintains that he is up to the task. Though many Lawyers consider him as very mute in many activities his defense is that actions speak louder than words and that if given the opportunity he will break mountains.
Though Meme Lawyers are of the opinion that the race is between Barristers Eyambe and Mbi Jones, Barristers Mpako Jacob is no push over. The latest entry in the race is the youthful Barrister Aba Nelson. Just with five years standing at the Bar, he is considered as the ‘kiriku’ amongst the aspirants. He is already boasting of about 75 lawyers behind him and says he won’t condescend from pressure to step down coming from senior lawyers. He maintains that the older generation has failed the association and that now is the time for new blood to be placed at the helm of the association. His declarations are giving sleepless night to the other presidential hopefuls.
Fingers remain cross, while many are hoping for better days for MELA.
Leave a Reply