By Nchendzengang Tatah
The re-election of the Cameroon Bar Association President, Mbah Eric Mbah, was warmly received, especially by the anglophone communities of the North West and South West regions. But besides the joy of a second mandate is the task that accompanies it; which he swore to deliver. That of building a CFA 6 billion worth Bar Head-office in the nation’s capital, Yaounde.
It was almost a cardiac arrest election when Ngo Minyongo, surpirsed eveyrone by delaring her candidacy on the day of the polls. It felt like Francophones needed a change since the Batonier is an Anglophone and has served one term of two years. Ngo Minyongo’s candidacy quickly gained momentum and required urgent reaction from the Mbah camp.
Mbah Eric grasped a staggering victory of 1001 votes to 749, 338 and 265 of Ngo Minyongo, Anne Yoland, Ngoula Fotso and Phillips Memong, respectively, during a night-long election on July 15, 2025, in Yaounde. He was away from pole position entering the 15-member Bar Council as 6th in order of votes. The incumbent Bar President, Barister Mbah Eric who successfully picked another two-year mandate, is expected to keep the association thriving irrespective of the challenges.
The major feature of Batonnier Mbah Eric’s second mandate, he had promised, was going to be the construction of a Bar head office worth over CFA 6 billion in Yaounde. The ten-floor structure with 4 underground floors is expected to consume a total of 1300 m².
“It’s a project that is futuristic; it honours us,” Batonnier Mbah Eric had declared heading for the elections. He had also noted that the crux of the matter was to obtain approval of the Bar Council which he had done in his first mandate for the project. Moving on, he assured that the second mandate was to be one in which he would create a road map for the bar for the next generation by engaging in long-lasting projects.
Reflecting on his leadership, Mbah Eric said the last two years of his stewardship were graced with achievements. “There is a lot we have done in terms of amendments of the Bar laws, and legal training which we intend to continue amongst others,” he stated. In the second mandate, he explained that he had presented an insurance scheme to work on, to enhance the relationship with the Chancellery, and diplomatic partners. They further intend to accompany trainees who passed the Bar Examination in 2016.
This year, it will be a test for him to see if the Cameroon government would allow the Bar accompy it during the election period. In the past, the government had always said, “No we are fine”, but Barrister Mbah recently said even if they refuse them from engaging in the elections, they will still be indriectly involved during election petitions.
