 Owona was appointed as Minister-Delegate at the Presidency for Relations with the Assemblies on 7 December 1997.He remained on the National Committee of Human Rights and Freedoms after his appointment to the government, and some in the opposition pointed to that as evidence of the Committee's lack of impartiality.Following Biya's appointment of the members of the National Elections Observatory (NEO) on 10 October 2001, Owona, speaking on behalf of the RDPC, praised Biya's choices as wise and called on the members of the NEO to justify the confidence that was placed in them.