Mamadou Mota, a leading figure in the Movement for the Renaissance of Cameroon (MRC), has strongly criticized what he sees as a circumvention of standard administrative procedures in the organization of the official funeral of Cavayé Yéguié Djibril, former President of the National Assembly.
Following the release of a letter from the President's Civil Cabinet directly to the Mayor of Tokombéré regarding the funeral scheduled for May 23, Mota denounced a break in the administrative chain of command. He ironically noted that the presidential decision appears to bypass the usual territorial levels, relegating governors and prefects to a secondary role.
"In Cameroon, when the Head of State has decided, the administrative geometry becomes variable, the hierarchy flattens, and formalism goes to get dressed," he stated, calling the approach a "procedural short circuit". Mota sees this action as more than just an administrative letter, viewing it as a baroque work of art, a contortion of Cameroonian administrative law.
He pointed out that traditionally, the hierarchical line is clear: the minister communicates with the governor, who relays to the prefect, who instructs the mayor. However, the President's Civil Cabinet preferred a "hurdle jump," ignoring the Minister of Territorial Administration, the Governor of the Far North, and the Prefect of Mayo-Sava, thus short-circuiting the procedure.
Mamadou Mota also questioned the choice of Mora for the official ceremony, to the detriment of Tokombéré, Cavayé Yéguié Djibril's native village, denouncing a "desecration of his memory" and a "sovereign contempt" towards the population of Tokombéré. He questions the role of prefects and governors if the Director of the Civil Cabinet can directly send instructions to mayors.
Cavayé Yéguié Djibril, who died on May 6, 2026, at the age of 86, was buried in his native village of Mada. He presided over the National Assembly for 34 years, from 1992 to 2026, marking the Cameroonian political landscape. His official funeral was scheduled for May 23 in Mora.
