The notorious Buea City Council Mayor, Patrick Ekena, has died in a La Republique hospital, a source in his native Buea has reported.

Reports of his death have triggered huge and wild celebrations in certain neighborhoods like Great Soppo and Molyko, neighborhoods inhabited by non-natives of the city.

The arrogant, uncouth and tactless mayor was noted for his clumsy ways of seeking the attention of the Yaounde political class.

Ekema, who had been found out as an academic crook, used the ruling CPDM to hide his crimes. He knew the ruling party was a crime syndicate and he made the most of it to feather his nest.

It was alleged that he had faked certificates from the University of Buea and those degrees actually helped him to rise to the prestigious position of Buea City Mayor.

Ekema has been a thorn in the side of Buea traders, given that they obeyed orders from separatists for the effective implementation of ghost town operations.

Ekema had been seeking higher political positions and he strongly held that the ideal way for him to achieve his goal was for him to frustrate the separatists whose ghost town operations had helped to cripple the city’s economy.

Confirming Ekema’s death from a native of the Southwest region, we were told that he had attended the funeral of a certain cleaner at the University of Buea and later went to BOVA, a town some five miles from Buea, for personal business.

The source added that it was being rumoured that he had been poisoned there. These are not tested allegations and without a conclusive autopsy, the rumor will continue to spread like wild fire.

However, it must be pointed out that his size was more than a lethal poison. His love of food and drinks had transformed him into “an elephant” and strokes, just like heart attacks, love those who pay little or no attention to their bulging waistlines.

Also, Ekema has been having numerous sleepless nights due to his desire to climb the political ladder at supersonic speed. His unwise involvement in the Southern Cameroons crisis was part of his strategy and this has surely cost him his life.

He saw the crisis as an opportunity for him to prove that loyalty to the ruling party pays off. From every indication, the stress of seeking social recognition and political appointment was, indeed, worse than the worst Russian biological weapon in existence.

Mayor Ekema bows out of the political scene young and bruised. He was embroiled in many scandals and these scandals went a long way in diminishing his reputation and chances at making giant strides in the political arena.

Buea has been offered another chance by nature. Ekema was an ill wind. He did not care about the city, but about his own political aggrandizement. The new city mayor will do himself a world of good by walking away from the path that Ekema had designed for the city. We hope he will find peace wherever he is today.

By Dr Joachim Arrey