Government of Sierra Leone has failed to hold paramount chieftaincy elections for over 20 chiefdoms in the country where vacancies in the country have occurred for years.
The failure of government to conduct elections largely out of negligence is in direct breach of the Chieftaincy Act of 2009, the law that regulates matters relating to chieftaincy.
The law in question says no regent chief should act in a caretaker capacity above one year.
As government fails to conduct elections, vacancies in several chiefdoms continue to occur.
The North-western Regional Headquarters of PortLoko faces two vacancies as paramount Chief Omela Bangura is said to have returned to Futa Djallon, the home of chiefs.
Previously, Portloko town was one chiefdom known as Maforki Chiefdom, but a deamalgamation policy pursued by the former government resulted into two chiefdoms, Maforki and Baka Loko.
Currently, the two chiefdoms have gone without substantive paramount chiefs making it difficult for chiefdoms development.
Of the two chiefdoms, Maforki has stayed much longer with a regent chief after the substantive paramount chief, Bai Forkie Sonkoyie returned home few years back.
The returning home of PC Omela Bangura to the home of chiefs has also created another vacancy that has generated cut-throat competition.
Some key stakeholders in the chiefdom currently run for the post of regent chief including the representative of the former paramount chief.
The institution of Chieftaincy, unlike other public institutions, is sacred and most revered.
When a paramount chief passes away, ceremonies and other rituals have to be performed before the deceased paramount chief is laid to rest.
Those rituals and ceremonies must be exercised by a lawfully and ceremonially installed paramount chief and not by a regent chief.
Similarly, when paramount and section chiefs are elected, custom and tradition demands that they undergo elaborate ‘kantha’ ceremonies before regarded as sacred chiefs.
In all those ceremonies regarding the lawful installation of a section chief and other important sub-chiefs, the paramount chief has a specific role to play, but he too must be ceremonial.
A week ago, an important sub-chief passed away in Maforki chiefdom and the paramount chief’s presence was needed to perform rituals, but could not surface there since he is not ceremonially installed.
The paramount chief is not a scared chief and could not perform the ceremonies required of him, and a ceremonial section chief became the master of ceremony.
The prolonged absence of ceremonial paramount chiefs in several chiefdoms especially in the north presents government as one that greatly undermines the dignity and sacredness of the institution of chieftaincy.
However, government conduct runs contrary to the supreme law of the land which is the 1991 constitution which says that the institution of chieftaincy is hereby recognised and its non-abolition by customary law and practice is hereby upheld.
Apart from the esteem placed on the institution of chieftaincy, colonial government similarly respected the institution as scared.
When indirect rule was introduced to Sierra Leone, paramount chiefs were the main vehicle for the implementation of colonial policies.
They were placed at the helm of affairs and contributed greatly to the running of the machinery of colonial government.
The Sierra Leone Peoples Party Government demonstrated respect and admiration for the institution of chieftaincy when they came to power in 2018.
The coming of the ‘New Direction’ Government saw the sacking of almost all regent chiefs left behind by the government of former President Koroma.
The new government says the chiefs have overstayed in their offices, and that they must give room to new ones.
Upon their appointment, government made it clear that the regent chiefs would not exceed their one-year mandate noting that the rule of law comes first in the governance of the state.
But, the promise made few years back are apparently betrayed as regent chiefs have gone close to three years.
The neglect of the offices of paramount chiefs comes at a time government scratches its head to see how paramount chiefs would fit into the administration of councils.
Government sees offices of paramount chiefs as sine qua non in contemporary governance system evidenced by the recent increase in their salaries and allowances.
As the delay continues, government is bashed at by several communities in Sierra Leone as they accuse government of an intended manipulation of paramount chiefs in the 2023 elections.
A potential aspirant in Maforki chiefdom, Ishmail Kamara has told this medium that elections for paramount chiefs are being delayed by controversies surrounding the accuracy of list of tribal authorities who should vote in the election.
Kamara further indicated that elections in Maforki chiefdom would have been held few months back had the list of tribal authorities been accurately compiled.
He also made it clear that he suspected central and local government authorities to have formulated the tricks to unnecessarily delay the elections.
Kamara however assured his community that he and other candidates would soon lead a delegation to the Minister of Local Government to air out their views.
Abass Kamara is the regent chief of Maforki Chiefdom in the north-western regional headquarters of Portloko.
When contacted by Nightwatch in respect of the delay of paramount chieftaincy elections in his chiefdom, he replied that the conduct of the election was delayed owing to the disagreement among the aspirants.
He however assured that government is working out modalities to have a correct list and conduct the elections within a reasonable timeframe.
Ministry of Local Government and the National Electoral Commission have a role to play in the elections of paramount chiefs.
The former supervises local government institutions such as city, district councils as well as chiefdom administrations while the latter conducts all public elections.
The two institutions are yet to show any move to hold elections for the candidates.