With the credibility of the elections management bodies continue to be highly questioned by political parties contesting in the approaching June elections, the main opposition All People’s Congress (APC) has urged the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL) to conduct peaceful, free, fair, transparent and credible, elections.
The leader and presidential candidate of the APC, Dr Samura Mathew Wilson Kamara Monday 1 May 2023 raised series of concerns to the leadership of elections commission. He urged ECSL to conduct the June 24 2023 elections in free, fair, transparent and credible manner. Dr Samura Kamara registered these concerns shortly after the ECSL approved the nominations of the APC presidential candidate Dr Samura Kamara’s bid and the vice presidential candidacy of Hon Chernor Ramadan Maju Bah, at the ECSL headquarters, AOU Drive, Tower Hill in Freetown.
Assuring ECSL Chairman Mohamed Kenewui Konneh of peaceful elections, Dr Samura Kamara said his supporters would ensure peaceful elections, but however urged the police to refrain from provoking his supporters.
Reports indicate that police fired teargas at APC members and supporters before the nomination of the presidential and vice presidential candidates for what police alleged that they were moving in large crowd, as against recently imposed Political Parties Regulation Commission (PPRC) selective restriction. The APC party says they were not moving in large crowd.
APC members and supporters engaged within the course of the process by FORUM, at the ECSL headquarters, expressed their fears and dissatisfactions about the unprofessional manner in which the Sierra Leone Police continue to target them whenever they try to engage in their campaign activities anywhere in the country. Samba Foday Musa, an ardent APC supporter in the East district said; “We are not even 5% sure of the open and wider political and democratic space the SLPP president candidate Julius Maada Bio is purporting to have done in the country. As we speak, our APC members and supporters cannot host their outdoors campaign activities. We are always targeted by the police tear gas as if we are not peaceful Sierra Leoneans. What happened before the nomination of our presidential and vice presidential candidates is unfortunate, undemocratic and it is not good for the peaceful and stability of the country. That form policing in democracy most be discouraged at once if we are actually talking about democratic policing in a space wherein all of us can fully participate without any form of political intimidation from state sponsored killers called police.”
In a similar vein, Mabinty Kamara of West-West recalled that; “Since they Bio led SLPP took up office in 2018 to date, we APC members and supporters became constant targets as if we are enemies. I am fully aware of the fact that as an opposition, we should not be targets political intimidation, we are a strategic member of the Government of Sierra Leone and we must be treated with utmost respectability and fairness as an alternative government in waiting. And as a matter of fact, the electoral process is expected to be fairly managed to ensure that all contenders participate fully in the process without intimidation like it has always been in previous elections. So the police have no business to target vulnerable civilians with tear gas. I only hope the international community, development partners and moral guarantors of the country’s tightly challenging democratic dispensation are taking full stocks of what is happening in Sierra Leone, and would ensure that those responsible for crimes be fully accountable for all their wrongdoings to end the culture of impunity. I think with that the country’s democracy can save from sliding into a military dictatorship.
Political analysis observe that the unfair and doubtful conducts of managers of the electoral process months to the June polls, have raised eyebrows over fears of likely unacceptable outcome of the elections should in case of any foul play, considering the way and manner in which the incumbent party, the ECSL and the PPRC are allegedly working in collaboration with the governing Sierra Leone People’s Party to get a re-election into office by all means possible.
These rigging ploy have long alerted the people about probable foul play in the discharge of their duties at the ECSL, PPRC, and the police, against opposition political parties including the APC. That why citizens continue to call for the resignations of the ECSL and the PPRC chairmen. Both democratic institutions are on records for playing only to the dictates of the ruling SLPP alone and work against the interest of opposition parties. It also widely observed that they have always proved allergic to any form of constructive criticisms aimed at checkmating the conduct of the ECSL, PPRC and the police.
