The leader and presidential candidate of the main opposition All People’s Congress (APC) party Dr Samura Mathew Wilson Kamara has Wednesday 14th June unleased heavy punches at the failure of states and democratic institutions a week ahead of the June 24 elections.
He exposed the governing Sierra Leone People’s Party – SLPP’s flagrant disregard for the Rule of Law, especially in the appointment of the Chairman and Chief Electoral Commissioner of the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone, Mohamed K. Konneh.
Speaking during a press conference, hosted at the New Brookfields Hotel in Freetown, Dr Samura Kamara among other issues encouraged all to exercise patience, and entreated them for their understanding to provide all with an exceptionally detailed address on the APC’s grave concerns over Mohamed K. Konneh of ECSL and our security forces.
Dr Samura Kamara accused the incumbent SLPP party as a government that is characterized by various public documents of gross Human Rights abuses, stifling of opposition voices, shrinking of the people’s democratic space, open tribal divide, regional marginalization and widespread unprovoked, unexplained and political violence which sound very serious going forward in the country’s drives to peace consolidation and national cohesion even after the elections.
He referred to the SLPP-led government as a failed system that is characterized by mass killings, molestations, harassments coupled with police brutality against the citizenry across the country, justifies woefully failure. “The misery and suffering we have endured in the last five years known no boundaries” he fired.
Dr Samura Kamara described the five years as tough for all, adding that, “The ballot box should be the answer to the people’s choice but as we can see from the actions so far of the ECSL, it is obvious that they have something else up their sleeves” he charged.
According to the opposition APC heavyweight, Mohamed K. Konneh was appointed Chairman of the ECSL in an unacceptable manner that epitomises the ruling SLPP’s flagrant disrespect for the rule of law and its underlying intent to undermine the integrity of the 2023 elections.
Dr Kamara furthered that based on the provisions in Chapter IX (Sections 32-34), of the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone, specifically on the appointment of the Electoral Commissioner, the APC strongly protested Konneh’s appointment. This, he added was communicated to President Julius Maada Bio on 16th July 2020, and the then party leadership in the House of Parliament voted against his nomination, as he is constitutionally unqualified for the role as the EC.
He said Konneh was imposed on the nation as the head of the elections commission without due consultation with leaders of other political parties, as stipulated by the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone.
Dr Samura Kamara said the President merely informed the leaders of opposition parties of his decision, adding that despite APC’s appeals to reconsider the controversial appointment, President Bio unilaterally forged ahead, dismissing the opposition APC’s concerns.
Fifty-one Members of Parliament voted against his appointment. Specifically, the APC contended with the following aspects of his appointment:
ECSL Boss, Mohamed Konneh wasted no time but to assure the APC leader and presidential candidate and the entire membership of the party at large of free, fair transparent and credible elections.
In reaction to Dr Samura Kamara’s call for the resignation of ECSL Chairman Mohamed K. Konneh and his team of regional commissioner, the elections chief say, “We are not going to resign. We are going to conduct the elections.”
