On the second day of consultations instructed by the Head of State, President Paul Biya ahead of the National Dialogue to solve the socio-political and security crisis in the North West and South West Regions, Prime Minister, Head of Government, Chief Dr Joseph Dion Ngute on September 12, 2019 received the delegation of the main opposition party, Social Democratic Front (SDF). The broad-based consultations as prescribed by the Head of State in his message to the nation on September 10, 2019 is to solicit a wide range of views that will serve as a source of inspiration to the conduct of the deliberations. The SDF delegation was led by its First Vice President Hon. Joshua Osih. It was made up of Members of the National Assembly, Senators and other members of the National Executive Committee (NEC). Before the discussions continued in-camera, there was a convivial atmosphere as Prime Minister Dion Ngute moved round the Cabinet Meeting Hall, venue of the consultations and shook hands with all members of the SDF delegations.

After the discussions, the SDF delegation leader, Hon. Joshua Osih told the press that they presented their points of view to the Prime Minister. He said they wanted to know the format of the National Dialogue and they got some preliminary information from the Prime Minister. Hon Joshua Osih disclosed that after the consultations they would go back and first of all go through the discussion they had with the Prime Minister and then take a decision on how the party will go further.

The Social Democratic Front created on May 26, 1990 has remained resilient as the main opposition political party in Cameroon. In the ongoing second legislative period of the Senate, the party has all the seven elected Senators from the North West Region. In the soon to end ninth legislative period of the National Assembly, the party has 18 Members of the National Assembly and the only opposition political party that has maintained a Parliamentary Group. The crisis in the North West and South West Regions has greatly affected the SDF considering that its main stronghold is the North West Region. The impact was greatly felt in the October 7, 2018 presidential election in which for the first time in presidential election history in Cameroon, the SDF candidate dropped from the hitherto second position to the fourth. Hon. Joshua Osih had 118,706 of the votes cast representing 3.36 per cent