The opposition All People’s Congress (APC) has challenged and petitioned the 2 October 2021 Koinadugu District Council Chairmanship and Ward 155 bye-election results recently by the Acting Electoral Commissioner, North Edmund Sylvester.

APC in a letter addressed to NEC’s Chief Electoral Commissioner, Mohammed K. Konneh, from JFK and Partners, a law firm in Freetown, lawyer Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara informed NEC Boss that the services of his firm has been consulted by the APC National Secretary General Alhaji Ambassador Dr Osman Foday Yansanneh to challenge and petition the declared results of the Local Council by-elections, for Ward 155, Constituency 046, Koinadugu District.

He reminded Konneh that: “On 2 October 2021, pursuant to Section 33 of the Constitution of Sierra Leone, Act No. 6 of 1991, the National Electoral Commission (NEC), conducted Local Council elections for Ward 155, Constituency 046, aforesaid.”

Lawyer Kamara’s letter explained that their instructions are that tallying for the election for Ward 155 started peacefully, and all entries were verified without incident not until when it reached to the last entry for Station One MCA Primary School, Fumbakoro, where it was detected that the NEC ICT team made an ‘inaccurate /and or fraudulent entry, inconsistent with the particulars on NEC’s Results Reconciliation Form (“RRF”)’.

He admonished Konneh that the deliberate inaccurate entry was in respect of a total number of votes cast in favour of KALIE THORONKA (SLPP), and pointed out that instead of entering 049 as recorded in the RFF form, 149 was purportedly entered intentionally that gave a numerical advantage to the SLPP candidate KALIE THORONKA, which resulted in an extra 100 votes in his favour.

Lawyer Kamara further stated that the Acting Regional Electoral Commissioner, North, Edmund Sylvester Alpha, declared SLPP KALIE THORONKA a winner of the Ward 155 election.

He added that the APC accredited agents including Dr Richard Konteh and Dr Kaifala Marrah, at the Wellington Tallying Centre, where they raised objections to the discrepancy on the RRF forms and NEC’s entry. But there calls fell on deaf ears as no action was reached on the matter.

Lawyer Kamara explained that despite Amb. Alhaji Yansanneh’s protest against the provisional results, no investigation was conducted into the said electoral irregularities; rather Commissioner Alpha then overruled.

“…as required by law, and being cognizant of Sections 139 and 140 of the Public Elections Act 2012.” Needless to say, timing is of the essence, as the reputational risk facing the National Electoral Commission, is on the brink. The onus is on your shoulders, Mr Mohammed Konneh, to rescue the impugned image and preserve the inalienable right of our people, to choose their leaders, said Lawyer Kamara.