The main opposition, All People’s Congress (APC) party, has in a press release dated Friday 5th May 2023, raised eyebrows over a release published on the official twitter account of the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL) dated 2nd May 2023.
According to the publication in question, the nomination of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) presidential candidate, Julius Maada Bio and his vice presidential nominee, Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh has been accepted.
Equally, the release continued, that the same statement was repeated by the commission on their twitter account when Prince Coker and Ibrahim Jalloh of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Mohamed Sowa and Olivitte Walker of the United Democratic Movement (UDM) and Nabieu Musa Kamara and Saidu A.K. Manneh of the People’s Liberation Party (PLP) on the 3rd and 4th May, 2023 respectively.
However, the APC notes the inconsistency in language used by ECSL, when the commission on 1st May, 2023, informed the public of the nomination of Dr. Samura Mathew Wilson Kamara and Hon. Chernor Ramadan Maju Bah of the APC, which stated that they have been provincially nominated”, the release emphasized.
According to the release, the party wants to unequivocally states as far as the elections concern, all who have been nominated are candidates.
The laws of Sierra Leone under which ECSL has its mandate to accept nomination of presidential candidates created no hierarchy or class of nomination, the release noted.
“As long as each candidate has fulfilled the provisions of the 1991 constitution and the Public Elections Act 2022, their nomination should be accepted without qualification” the press release stressed.
The release argued that if on fulfillment of the provisions of the Act, the nomination is provincial then it should be the same for all candidates regardless of party or incumbency.
The press release reminded the ECSL of one of the tenets of the Rule of Law which is equality before and under the law, insisting that there is nothing about provincial nomination before the Act.
ECSL ought to realize that the continuity of the peace and tranquility that the country has enjoyed over the years is in their hands, the release stipulated.
Such blatant discriminatory display is quite provocative and must be refrained from by those manning such a sensitive office.
The will of people and the laws of the country must be respected, the release urges.
The release categorically states “It is abundantly clear that the majority of voters of the country are behind our candidates which will be manifested at the polls on 24th June 2023, if the process leading to, during and after the polls is free, fair and credible election process” the press release concluded.
On the twitter wall of the ECSL reads the notification; “The public is reminded that all Presidential nominations are accepted provisionally until May 17 2023 which is the deadline for objections to the Supreme Court.”
