When will the election investigation start is the question on the lips of many Sierra Leoneans despite an atmosphere of insecurity in the country. The election investigation would have started last Monday, but a shooting last Sunday at military and police facilities holds back the process.
Sunday’s attacks left the public wondering about the whether the investigation will hold as planned. Despite the despair, several Sierra Leoneans believe that no matter the delay tactics, the investigation is sure to come to show what happened before, during and after the elections, how it happened and what can be done to prevent it from happening again.
One of the Sierra Leonean hopefuls of the truth is a teacher and activist, Ibrahim Bangura who has been a staunch defender of democracy, rule of law and human rights in Sierra Leone. Without mincing any word, Bangura expresses strong desire to see the election fraud investigated for the dust to settle.
He was among those who risked it all to cast their votes in the midst of guns and teargas, but the electoral outcome left him in big doubt, and cannot be convinced that the incumbent President Julius Maada Bio won the June-24 election.
“I really want to see the Election Investigation Committee begins its work as the guns have gone silent so that we can know who actually won the election,” Bangura appealed.
Fearing a demise of democracy in Sierra Leone, other right campaigners have also urged the authorities to start the investigation with the aim of establishing the truth as it is hoped that peace will come only when the investigators get to the crux of the fraud devoid of any political gimmick.
However, other activists and few Sierra Leoneans do not see the investigation as one that will bring peace to Sierra Leone as government might not cooperate with the investigation team and will not even like to see it happen.
When the committee sits, there is great fear that the Chief Electoral Commissioner, Mohamed Kenewui Konneh might come under pressure particularly from the international community.
It is clear that Konneh and others might be roped in for treason the day he published the real results. Without any fear of contradiction, government officials may go at great length to undermine state security to thwart the investigation. A Sierra Leonean lady, Martha Kamara is among those supporting peace even if it causes Bio to remain President till 2028.
“Instead of losing the peace, let us allow the current government to continue,” she said as she looked worried about the future especially the vulnerability of her little kids.
Despite controversies or different views from many Sierra Leoneans, members of the diplomatic community are pushing for the probe.
UK High Commissioner, Lisa Chesney recently visited Chief Minister, David Moinina Sengeh, government’s signatory to the communique to sound his views about the commencement of the investigation.
In her address to Mr Sengeh, Chesney says “now more than ever, commitments made in the peace dialogue must be implemented to benefit all…”
The UK diplomat also made it clear that her country was ready to support the Sierra Leone Government and all other stakeholders in the election fraud investigation.
Owing to the desire to investigate the fraud, the people of Sierra Leone have appreciated the UK government for taking such a giant stride amid insecurity in the country.
A tweet on several media platforms conveys the general feeling on the ambassador’s action saying “Thank you Lisa, your initiative in bringing the signed communique is appreciated.”
The tweet further indicated that “no distractions will hinder our proactive effort to uncover irregularities and fraudulent practices in the recently concluded multi-tier elections.”
In reciprocation, a team of top APC (All People’s Congress) executive officials including the Secretary-General, Lansana Dumbuya visited the Uk High Commissioner with whom they held fruitful discussion.
Dr Kelfala Marrah, co-Chair to the EIC was also part of the high profile delegation that visited the UK Embassy Commissioner thus portraying a clear manifestation that they are ready for business.
The discussion hinges on the importance of maintaining the momentum and agreed that the events of 26th November must not derail the investigation and the promise of further engagement was also made.
The EIC investigation, an object of intense public discussion, emanated from a three-day dialogue brokered by the Commonwealth, African Union and ECOWAS (Economic Community Of West African States).
As contained in a communique signed by the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party and the opposition, All People’s Congress, the EIC has the mandate to look into the election fraud and its work should not exceed six months.
“His Excellency, the President, in consultation with the APC party, will constitute a Cross-Party Committee on Electoral Systems and Management Bodies Review with a three-way leadership nominated by the government of Sierra Leone, the APC party and Development partners. This body will examine the electoral systems, structures and processes of the 2023 multi-tier electoral processes,” a portion of the communique reads.
The EIC, according to the communique, will also be informed by previous elections with a view to highlighting and addressing the contentious issues of elections and results management including the collation, verification, authentication and publishing electoral data with international best practice to enhance the credibility of all future elections in Sierra Leone that guarantees elections to be free, fair and credible.
It is also clear in the peace document that the terms of reference will be developed under the committee’s joint-leadership and shall last for half a year with the recommendations being “actionable” and “implementable.”
The IEC also comes as a result of a dispute over the June-24 elections whose results have been discredited by the local bodies and the international community.
All election observation missions to Sierra Leone on June 24, 2023 condemned the results saying electoral process “lacked transparency.”
In a press briefing two days after the elections, Chief EU Elections Observer, Evin Incir said the electoral period was hallmarked by violence alleging that “live rounds and teargas canisters were fired during the process.”
Carter Centre Foundation also questioned the credibility of the elections and called for the publication of the election results by polling stations and districts, a move ECSL (Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone) will find difficult to accept.
The local elections observation body, the National Elections Watch (NEW) also condemned the declaration of President Julius Maada Bio winner of the elections. NEW is an umbrella body of civil society organisations that specialise in the observation and reporting of elections in Sierra Leone including the currently disputed election.
Relying on the PRVT (Process and Result Verification for Transparency), NEW Boss, Marcella Samba Sesay condemned the declaration of President Bio winner of the elections, a statement that endangered her safety and now seeks asylum in the United Kingdom.
“None of the candidates got the 55 per cent threshold needed to avoid a run-off,” Mrs Samba said immediately after the elections. These projections did not stop ECSL chief from awarding 56.17 per cent to the incumbent candidate, President Bio and 43.83 to the opposition candidate, Dr Samura Kamara.
With such announcement, Bio was immediately sworn in President of Sierra Leone in the midst of guns and heavy artillery, a move that prompted a tough backlash, the first in Sierra Leone’s political history. SLPP boycotted general elections in 1973 but not parliament.
For three months, APC’s parliamentarians, mayors, chairmen and councillors refused to take their seats in parliament and councils owing to what they refer to as an “open thievery of votes.”
The Proportional representation which sets the threshold at 11.9% for a parliamentary seat kept smaller political parties out of parliament leaving only the APC and SLPP. No gainsaying that the absence of APC in parliament offers Sierra Leone the looks of a one-party state.
Sierra Leone was bashed at by the international community by holding back all funding, a very dangerous situation for government. Plunged in a dire state, government accepted peace dialogue with the opposition party for peace and sanity to return to Sierra Leone.
Currently, the only way peace can return to Sierra Leone is the investigation and publication of genuine results, but no one knows when that time will come.