By: Joseph Elongima Samai (New Jersey)
President Bio’s open indictment of the entire United States Government that it was them that influenced him to meddle in and interfere with the June 24th electoral processes that ultimately skewed the results in his favour is the earliest indication that presently, and subject to:
(a). A continuation of local and international pressures on the Chef Electoral Commissioner (CEC) Mohammed Konneh to produce the disaggregated results details on those elections
(b). The continued boycott by the main opposition APC Party from government and governance
(c). An intensification of international sanctions through travel bans and other pressures on the Bio administration to ensure compliance with basic democratic tenets to reflect the will and choices of the electorate,
he will inevitably be consenting to a full re-run of those elections very soon.
Even though Bio’s indictment was generic to wit: the United States – and not targeting any US citizen or arm of government specifically – it is by its very nature a clear admission by the President himself that finally, and despite all the SLPP braggadocio and rancour arising out of Mohamed Konneh’s results to date – they were actually tampered with, inaccurately compiled, tabulated, transmitted and reported on. It is for those same reasons that the world believes that those results did not reflect the will of the majority of the electorate, and by which the entire SLPP cabal have been ensnared, dragging yet another diehard card-carrying SLPP fanatic and loyalist (Mohamed Konneh) under the Bus with glaring evidences for more to follow.
Whichever sentiments one wishes to attach to these unsavoury political developments for Sierra Leone, it is incontrovertible that our incumbent Chef Electoral Commissioner (CEC) Mohammed Konneh is a dishonourable wretch, fit only to be tried and convicted under our extant laws for political malpractices hinging on the capital offense “high treason”, and for which reason he ought to be sentenced to long jail term without parole. The same should hold good for all his Regional Electoral Commissioners who aided and abetted him in the act of declaring the falsified electoral results that were collated, tabulated and transmitted culminating in the 56.7% aggregate announced for Bio.
And to the extent that by his own admission President meddled in and tampered with the final results outcomes for the June 24th elections, then he too should be as guilty as Mohammed Konneh and all his Regional Commissioners, and he too should be charged and convicted under our extant laws for electoral malpractices hinging on the capital offense of “high treason”. This is is because those laws prohibit the influencing and or supervision of a substantive Chief Electoral Commissioner in any way that would subject him/her to external pressures – no matter how sublime their origins.
Now the fact that President Bio has admitted to, or was able to have meddled in and tampered with the results indicates that a clear collusion existed between himself and the CEC for a criminal enterprise. But whether Bio was motivated by pressures from “the United States” to do so or not is irrelevant here. In the event four questions have popped up:
1. How was it that Bio full well knowing that the results announced in his favour were tampered with and accordingly fraudulent, could have remained so stoically ensconced as President despite incessant entreaties for him to do the right thing and urge the CEC to have produced the disaggregated results?
2. Why did he have to wait until he was on American soil before revealing those fact that neither his SLPP Party, nor himself won a majority of Parliamentary seats or the Presidency at the June 24th elections respectively. That disclosure left the “rookie” Information so peeved that he is diverting interviewers to Bio himself for an explanation on why he virtually went overboard with honesty on an international forum.
3. When President Bio was challenged by the International Community spearheaded by the former United States Ambassador David Reimer on the credulity, credibility and acceptability of the elections results, did he not angrily denounce the Ambassador for “interfering into our domestic politics” and further reminding him also that we are “a sovereign nation”? So how comes he is now wanting the world to believe that it was on account of “pressures by the United States that he meddled into and tampered with those elections results”?
4. Why or how would an ambassador that had encouraged Bio to have tampered with or meddled in those elections outcomes turned around to have again opposed Bio’s choice of Vice President Juldeh Jalloh to serve as Chairman of the elections investigations committee?
Well the answers to all above questions could be codified under a single explanation: “Plea Bargaining!!”
Bio – the wily fox – knows that he is in deep shit – both with the United States government and the International Criminal Court (ICC) – and that the only way he could mitigate whatever the gravity of penalties awaiting him and his corhorts at the latter (ICC) was to “Plea Bargain”.
Pundits believe it is on that account of that possible “Plea Bargaining” deal with the US that Bio has let out the “bombshell” and out of his own guilt conscience that he indeed meddled in, and tampered with the elections results “under pressure from the United States. After all with so much bloodletting under his watch in the last five years, there is no way he could enter and exit the ICC precincts – which are outside the fringes of the UNGA and where his immunity from prosecution dissipates – scot free. Worse still not after having been extensively profiled (reported upon) by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) since his involvement into the mainstream polity of Sierra Leone dating back to 1992. That extra-judicial disappearances, killings and equally extra-judicial disposal of the mortal remains of loved ones have characterized his administration since becoming a civilian president in April 2018 using his Presidential Guards and Traditional Khamajor Hunters wrongfully integrated into the national security sector as auxiliary Police, has not evaded international community attention.
To the United States of America as the Global Police, the ultimate goal is to subdue all enemies of the “Star-Spangled Banner”. And they care less about vilifications or unwarranted incriminating allegations on their reputation in pursuing that goal. Bio has been cornered and that’s all that matters. And it would have been most disingenuous for Bio not to have so “Plea Bargained” with the United States. So he could take whatever comforts he desires in attempting to rope in the US in his criminal act by his references to their complicity in his meddling with our elections.
Whatever the outcomes of Bio’s interface with the ICC (midwifed of course by the United States) it is now clear he never won the last Presidential election, but has been governing, making appointments and accessing our National Treasury on a stolen electoral mandate, all of which actions are “treasonable” under our extant laws, and for which he and the CEC Mohammed Konneh should serve long jail terms without the possibility of a parole.
Those who believe Bio will never be indicted because the ICC has never indicted a sitting President should now begin to be having a re-think that the substantive motivation for the ICC to have even invited him is because they (ICC) already knew what we are knowing only now that Bio never won the last Presidential election, and accordingly by him not being an incumbent President logically and roundly qualifies him for indictment by the ICC.
So perhaps the only advisable thing for Bio to do now (whether or not he is released from ICC custody) but which could serve as the greatest mitigating factor at his pending ICC trial is to announce specific timelines for a complete re-run of the June 24th multi-tiered elections so that the ultimate will of the majority can be reflected in the leadership of the country.
And for country with a Debt/GDP distressed ratio of 98.8% (according to IMF/World Bank ratings) that also depends on IMF/World Bank and EU, DFID and US monthly stipends to run our Health, Education, Security and recurrent wage bill sectors, he could only resist announcing for a re-run of those elections at his peril.
Finally whatever obtains, for any sitting head of state to be associated with appearance before the ICC is by itself an abomination. But in his entire life Bio has exhibited neither bravery nor brilliance, but consistently hovers between an autistic and a mentally retarded. Thus the stench of his revolting revelations that as President he never actually won the last elections, but actually manipulated the CEC Mohammed konneh to have skewed the outcomes in his favour, is worse in odium and contempt than the aggregate of all the disreputable actions Bio alleged Ernest Bai Koroma caused to the image and reputation of this country throughout his years as a duly elected President and Commander-in Chief of Sierra Leone from 2007 to 2018.