By Kabs Kanu
From the multitudes coming out for him in the SLPP strongholds that the greens thought were impenetrable, Dr. Samura Kamara is in a pole position to win the Sierra Leone presidential elections on June 24, 2023. It looks like the people have made up their minds to have Samura Kamara as the next President of Sierra Leone.
It does not take an ancient seer or a rocket scientist to put two and two together and predict a Samura Kamara victory. If the crowds that we have seen in Pujehun, Bo, KKenem
, Kono and Moyamba translate into votes and the APC hold steady their Northwestern strongholds, it is difficult to see how President Maada Bio will defeat Dr. Samura Kamara on June 24.
The SLPP, with their efforts at ethnic and regional hegemony kicked into full gear and fanatics falsely believing that APC have no chance in their strongholds, while the security forces continue their dangerous pattern of intimidation and brutality to APC campaigners, it is still interesting to see the number of people coming out to campaign with the APC and even declare open support for them in these perceived SLPP strongholds, where many Sierra Leoneans thought people would have been afraid to do so.
SLPP fanatics are resolved that the June 24 elections will be a piece of cake for them but it does not actually seem so and history has proved that whenever the SLPP bubble and simmer with such heavy dose of over confidence, APC had come back dramatically from the shadows to stun them as it happened especially in 1967 and 2007.
The late Sir Albert Margai and Solomon Berewa were so confident of winning in 1967 and 2007, propelled as well by the diabolical misuse of the power of incumbency. An APC victory was out of the cards and the mere thought of it was considered blasphemy of the highest order by the SLPP but the APC shocked them on both occasions by winning the elections. President Bio might be in for the same ordeal on June 24.
But APC must not rest on their oars. The elections must be free and fair or else Samura Kamara will not win.
President Bio and this generation of SLPP cadres are very nebulous and more criminally – minded than past supporters , especially in the art of using criminal methods of tallying and entering voters data . This is where SLPP ‘s high volume of confidence resides. It is in the knowledge that they can rig the elections without use of well known traditional and outmoded methods. SLPP have experts at altering and changing figures of data on spreadsheets and during tallying processes into computers , with advanced criminal computer skills. We saw Infa Allie, the criminal, using technology in 2018 to rig the elections conveniently in favour of the SLPP.
Additionally, SLPP have already put in place structures to rig the June 24 elections , through a bogus census , villainous voter registration exercise and fake voters registration cards which will eliminate hordes of legitimate opposition voters. Many people on the APC side will find out on polling day that they will not be able to vote . These are the criminal techniques the SLPP are banking on to win on June 24.
Consequently, the APC must listen to advice . They cannot go into the June 24 elections without forcing the Elections Commission of Sierra Leone ( ECSL ) to rectify the voters registration problems that have become so contentious that they are now the subject of a law suit by the very APC and planned massive demonstrations by the People’s Power In Politics ( PPP) next week. There is no way the APC will win the elections if they do not dismantle the criminal structures the SLPP have constructed to conduct the elections.
The APC must never trust the SLPP . They have no desire to conduct free, fair and credible elections on June 24. The SLPP have no inclination to give them s level playing field or s shot at victory. SLPP have never conceded power without a fight or intervention by the international community or the hard work of a God-fearing, incorruptible elections commissioner. The SLPP cannot conduct any free and fair elections on their own. It is never in their constitution.
Samura Kamara will win on June 24 but the APC have a lot to do to make the SLPP respect democracy and make the process free and fair.
