Will Biya maintain Cavayé as speaker?

By Chinje Hopeson in Yaounde

With national assembly speaker, Cavayé Yeguié Djibril, having been dropped from the list of Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) senatorial hopefuls in the Far North region, the question on the lips of many observers now is whether he will be maintained in his post. This question is triggered by newspaper reports of an animosity that is said to have cropped up between the latter and President Paul Biya after Cavayé declared his candidature for the senate.

While some foresee the head of state putting an end to the 21-year reign of the native of Tokombéré as house speaker, others say the veteran politician, by virtue of his experience, will be made to go nowhere. A proponent of this school of thought who spoke to The Guardian Post on conditions of anonymity, argued: “After more than 40 years as a parliamentarian first of the Cameroon National Union (CNU) and later for the CPDM, CavayéYeguié Djibril is arguably the most experienced and versatile parliamentarian this country has ever had. President Biya is aware of this and so will want him to hang on for as long as he (Biya) is president. Don’t mind what people may be saying after the speaker declared his candidature to run for the senatorial elections…there is perfect harmony between the two.”

Another analyst, this time a CPDM insider, pointed out that it is because President Biya wants Cavayé to stay as speaker of the national assembly that he dropped his name from the list. “The president will certainly appoint a powerful personality as president of the senate,” he said. “Knowing the kind of person he is, he would not want a less powerful bloke to head the lower house. And since Cavayé remains the pillar of this house, he could not have allowed him to migrate to the upper house. That’s why he cancelled his candidature for the senatorials.”

Sources at the national assembly say the speaker is not the list troubled because he knows that his position is secure. “He and Biya know the kind of game they are playing. He knows that he is the president’s only choice for the post, so he is not bothered by whatsoever people may be saying. All what you and I may be saying is speculation; the truth of the matter lies between the two most important personalities in the country who remain very close friends,” a close aide of Cavayé told The Guardian Post.