Chairman for Renewable Energy, Dr Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella, five years ago, warned Sierra Leoneans that they were under a “junta democracy” as long as Maada Bio remained as President.
Yumkella who was leader of NGC (National Grand Coalition) issued the warning at the early days of the Bio regime as he saw first hand how the country was being run. It was glaring that Bio adopted the carrot and stick approach to have his way in every issue of national importance.
As guardian of the constitution, Bio was supposed to strengthen the supreme law and not exploit loopholes to lord it over opposition politicians especially members of the main opposition, All People’s Congress (APC). As a former UN official, Yumkella is quite aware about good governance benchmarks which the international community looks out for.
But, he was sure that Bio trampled on all criteria of a civilised and mature democracy. The former NGC leader was in parliament when armed police personnel entered the well and beat up parliamentarians just to impose a Speaker.
Yumkella also witnessed the enactment of draconian legislations to curtail the people’s freedom and civil liberties to create a police state. The legislations also aimed at having Bio to have edge over presidential candidates in the elections, and it came to pass.
The Cyber Crime, the Public Elections and the Political Parties Regulation Commission laws were among most of those enactments. Yumkella also witnessed firsthand the illegal removal of 10 APC parliamentarians from the legislative house in a day and replaced with opposition parliamentarians.
The courts were co-opted to ensure that Bio had his way. The NGC leader was here in Sierra Leone when extra-judicial killings were carried out in the North-West regions, APC strongholds with no one held accountable for the atrocious crimes. The list of atrocities is endless, but Sierra Leoneans never heeded to a warning which has crystallised in the country’s current body politic.
Bio has refused to hand over power after he lost the June elections with unreserved verbal attacks on the international community. All local and international observers made it clear that the elections lacked transparency, and there was no way he could become President through such elections.
Local election observers too particularly NEW (National Elections Watch) also held similar views. NEW Chief, Marcella Samba Sesay said in a radio discussion that “Bio had lost the election.”
A subsequent press statement issued by NEW made it clear that Bio did not meet the 55 percent threshold needed to avoid a run off in the June Elections. Upon all these penetrating forecast, Bio ensured that the election was announced in his favour to continue to serve in the Office of the President.
He has rejected every call to step down and get ready for what might come. Even when sanctions were imposed by neighbouring Guinea, Bio is still not worried. Even when the US as well EU withheld funding, President Bio still continues in office. Even when he faces isolation from the rest of the international community, his zeal to rule does not waver.
With only one political party in Parliament, Bio’s nominees for public offices have been approved thus forming what many refer to as a de facto government. He surfaces at international meetings and conferences even when not invited.
As he turns his back against the West, Bio is strengthening economic ties with China and Russia just to sail through in his illegal governance project. By his disposition, he seems ready to take on any local or outside intervention.
Bio’s penchant for power started to showcase in the election eve by the level of political violence perpetrated by his supporters in almost every part of the country particularly in the South-East regions. Although pockets of violence occur in some parts of the North-West regions, it is in the South-East that more violence was perpetrated.
Sierra Leoneans were stunned and shocked on the burning of the APC office in the Southern city, Bo during campaigns for the June-24 presidential and parliamentary elections. The building belongs to one of  APC’s long-standing and firebrand female politicians, Cecilia Ngobeh. Everyone was pissed off as the incident violently passed off.
Reports stated that four people were trapped in the building although no fatality was reported. As usual, the police as well as the National Fire Force (NFF) agency was helpless. The NFF could not put off the flames and the police never went after the arsonists who are said to be supporters of the ruling party, and no arrest was made in connection to the arson.
Even if the police had what it takes to nab the offenders, fears of government reprisals might have held them back. A police officer can be sacked for arresting and investigating an SLPP supporter.
Many Sierra Leoneans attributed the political violence to statements of senior politicians who are opposed to APC campaigns in the South-East regions widely considered as SLPPP strongholds.  First Lady, Fatima Bio called on, ahead of campaigns, South-Easterners not to allow APC politicians in the South-East regions, a move that did not go down well with peace-loving Sierra Leoneans.
Her husband, President Bio also hit hard on former President Ernest Bai Koroma who, he accused, of sponsoring the social media ventriloquist, Abdul Will Kamara aka Adebayor to incite violence in the country. In most of his campaigns, Bio minced no word telling his supporters that he would reduce the former President to nothing if he did not keep his hands off on Sierra Leone’s politics.
Bio also called on the former President as well as the APC presidential candidate, Dr Samura Kamara to dissociate themselves from Adebayor who he refers to as an “idiot.”
However, no evidence has shown that Koroma and Kamara have links with the ventriloquist. Former President Ernest Bai Koroma however does not tread on Bio’s path. As a man who has worked for peace for decades turned to the international community to save Sierra Leone from a relapse to another violence.
He issued a press release calling on the international community  to act decisively. National Federation for Human Rights (NFHR) is one of those organisations that criticised President Bio and his wife for their uncomplimentary statements against the former President.
“The National Federation for Human Rights (NFHR) condemns Julius Maada Bio’s threats to former President Ernest Bai Koroma and the APC party as the country approaches June-24 elections. NFHR is disturbed by the incessant threat and impulse made by President Julius Maada Bio and his wife towards former President Ernest Koroma,” a press release of 18th June, 2023 reads. The duo’s utterances, the press release noted, would undermine Sierra Leone’s peace and democratic processes.
The NFHR reminded President Bio of the crucial nature of the elections at that time.
“Bear in mind the crucial nature of the 24th June 2023 presidential, parliamentary and local council elections. Thus, the unwarranted threats uttered to the former President and the opposition party by the incumbent President Julius Maada Bio heightened political tension and increased mistrust over the conduct of the forthcoming election,” a portion of the press release reads.
The arson on Ngobeh’s house was not the first notable incident in the Southern headquarters. Burning of houses and government buildings has been a usual scenery in the South-East regions.
Thugs linked to SLPP set APC office on fire in 2008 during Koroma’ presidency. House of the Regional Chairman, Sheik Sillah was also burned to ground level. A senior APC member, Lagaisy Sankoh’s house was also targetted, but was saved by the army from the 5th Brigade based in Bo.
Sankoh too enjoyed respite only when the army came to his rescue. Erstwhile APC Chairlady in Bo district, Zainab Mansaray was also physically assaulted, abd occasioned serious injuries for which she was flown to Ghana for medical treatment. All these forms of brutality took place in a day when Bio visited Bo on a “thank-you tour.”
In defence of their actions, SLPP supporters told journalists that a missile hit their candidate, President Bio whose party, SLPP was the main opposition at that time.
Accusing fingers were pointed at APC members of injuring the SLPP candidate although there was no evidence to support such claim. Those arrested in respect of the arson were unconditionally released and warned to keep the peace.
Former President Koroma showed statesmanship and magnanimity to SLPP by ensuring that no SLPP office across the country was set ablaze as he issued orders to police and army high commands to guard SLPP offices.
This move transformed former President Koroma overnight into global icon of democracy. Today, the burning of houses and other forms of political violence continue to showcase in Sierra Leone’s political landscape, a situation that has relegated the country’s democracy to the dustbin.
The brutality followed a number of brutal protests that the country saw quite lately for suspected electoral irregularities. The police and the protesters were at each other’s throat few months back. Makeni, the Northeastern regional capital slowly degenerated into an almost all-out conflict between security forces and the protesters.
A resident in Makeni, Idrissa Kamara told this press that scenes of violent encounters took place between forces of law and order and the civilians. “I was in my bedroom when I saw security forces running after the protesters, and others were injured,” Kamara told this press via mobile phone.
Speaking from a locked bedroom, he said no business went on in Makeni, and signs of life returning to normalcy were non-existent. Another resident, Foday Mansaray and other residents told similar stories of violent clashes. Mansaray even called for foreign troops to secure the Northern city.
It was also reported that massive arrest of protesters took place in Makeni, and many were taken into police custody.  PortLoko, the Northwestern regional capital also saw similar violence. A resident there, Saidu Bangura told Nightwatch that a protester was hit by a bullet.
The victim, he said, was conveyed to the hospital for medical treatment and the Regional Police Commander there foot the bill. In PortLoko, those arrested were released as protesters threatened to go on the rampage if they continued to hold their colleagues in cells.
Head of OSD (Operations Support Division), Assistant Inspector General of Police, Francis Tawa was also threatened. Ex-fighters demanded that either Mr Tawa withdrew his armed personnel from the streets or faced attacks.
The incident in Makeni showcased hypocrisy of President Julius Maada Bio who assured the international community that no shot would be fired during the protest. The President recently made it clear that he would not kill again, and the political space had been opened to all and sundry.
Every citizen, he said, was free to participate in politics, but security forces continued their crackdown on defenceless civilians in various parts of the country. Makeni city had been a flashpoint of police brutality since Bio took over power in April, 2018.
Scenes of police killings were widespread in the Northern capital during August 10, 2022 demonstrations held for high cost of living for which Sierra Leone was known. Makeni city also saw bloodbath in July, 2020 when youth resisted the removal of a thermal plant there. 20 residents were gunned down, but official account indicated six as the figure of casualties.
Intermittent waves of violence in APC strongholds are not uncommon. APC members and supporters were targetted for violence especially in the Southern and eastern regions, heartlands of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party. Dozens of APC supporters were at various health facilities in Pujehun after waves of brutal attacks quite recently.
The attacks came after approximately 500 women declared for APC as they waited to have the first First Lady in history. Chairperson for APC in Pujehun confirmed to this press, in an interview, that the matter was reported to the police for investigation. “The matter is now in the hands of the police, and they are now investigating,” she said.
Those attacked, she went on, were responding to medical treatment. Such are the features of a “Junta Democracy.”