By Janet A. Sesay
The National Coordinator of the Independent Elections Management Committee (IEMC), Patrick Hassan Kamara, past Tuesday, October 27, 2026, testified before Justice Adrian Fisher, explaining why the Committee had been unable to complete the All People’s Congress (APC) lower-level elections in all 17 administrative districts within the period stipulated by the court.
Testifying under examination by lawyer Africanus Sesay, Kamara told the court that elections had been successfully conducted in 15 of the country’s 17 administrative districts, with Kambia and Karene remaining outstanding due to petitions pending before the relevant electoral authorities.
He explained that the outstanding elections could not proceed because of petitions submitted to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) and the District Party Elections Review Committee (DPRC).
Kamara said that in Kambia District, Ward 220 and Ward 227 were affected by petitions currently before the IEC. He also referred to an additional petition in the district that remained subject to review.
He stressed that consultations with the relevant political parties and the resolution of outstanding petitions were necessary before elections could proceed in the affected areas.
Explaining the sequence of electoral activities, Kamara told the court that following elections conducted on August 31 and September 27 and 29, 2026, several petitions were filed challenging the outcomes of certain elections in certain districts.
He said the electoral authorities initially conducted elections in ten districts before proceeding with midterm by-elections in various constituencies and wards.
According to him, following hearings by the relevant petitions review body, fresh elections were conducted in Constituency 264 in Port Loko District, Constituency 111 in the Western Area, and Constituency 061 in Kambia District.
He further explained that four additional petitions were heard on October 18, after which elections were conducted in five more districts: Pujehun, Kono, Tonkolili, Falaba and Bo.
Kamara said discussions with the relevant authorities also addressed petitions received by the IEMC and the reasons some elections had not been conducted.
He explained that while elections had been held in several districts, some of the results remained subject to petitions, while outstanding elections could not proceed because of unresolved issues within the electoral process.
He also highlighted concerns about the relationship between district-level elections and the selection of delegates, noting that unresolved disputes and discrepancies could affect the constitution of delegations for subsequent electoral activities.
Measures to Improve Electoral Transparency
Addressing concerns about the integrity of the electoral process, Kamara told the court that measures were being considered to strengthen transparency, improve election management and reduce disputes arising from internal party elections.
He said one of the proposed measures was the establishment of a pool of qualified and professional personnel to support the electoral process.
According to him, the integrity of elections depends significantly on the competence and impartiality of those responsible for conducting them.
Kamara also disclosed that some electoral officials could be transferred from one district to another as part of efforts to improve transparency and address concerns about the conduct of previous elections.
He maintained that the proposed measures were intended to strengthen public confidence, address technical shortcomings and ensure that future elections were conducted fairly and transparently.
The IEMC coordinator further outlined several challenges faced by electoral officials, including physical assaults, difficult working conditions, security concerns and financial constraints.
Referring to paragraph 17 concerning the relocation of the Falaba District election, Kamara explained that electoral officials sometimes encountered difficulties travelling to remote areas, including locations around Moyamba and Kabala.
He said the conduct of electoral activities across different constituencies was sometimes disrupted by security-related challenges and announcements concerning the cancellation of elections.
Kamara also told the court that inadequate funding sometimes made it difficult for electoral authorities to meet operational expenses and discharge their responsibilities effectively.
He called for stronger electoral institutions, including the IEC and other relevant bodies, to promote internal democracy and improve the conduct of future elections.
He further suggested that electoral institutions should be given additional legal powers to address contempt, prevent disruptions during elections and deal with attempts to interfere with or unlawfully cancel electoral processes.
According to him, the existing institutions lacked some of the powers necessary to address these challenges effectively.
Cross-Examination on Court Order and Relocation of Elections
During cross-examination by lawyer Jessie Jengo, representing the plaintiffs, including Alfred Peter Conteh, Kamara confirmed that the elections conducted on August 31, 2026, were organised in accordance with a court order.
Asked whether he was the National Coordinator of the IEMC, Kamara answered in the affirmative.
He also agreed that his responsibility was to coordinate the ongoing internal elections of the third defendant, the All People’s Congress.
Kamara explained that his duties included conducting, supervising and managing the party’s internal electoral process.
He further acknowledged that certain executive members of the APC had been restrained by an injunction.
Jengo questioned him about the court’s directive requiring the outstanding elections to be conducted within 21 days, despite the injunction affecting some former executive members.
Kamara confirmed that the court had issued the directive but explained that the court was also aware of petitions pending before the IEMC.
He maintained that elections could not proceed in areas where petitions remained unresolved.
The lawyer also questioned Kamara about whether it fell within his mandate to relocate an entire district’s delegate election to another district.
In response, Kamara said his responsibility was to manage the entire electoral process, including arrangements for relocating elections from one district to another.
Asked whether such a relocation was lawful, he answered in the affirmative, explaining that the elections in question were delegate elections.
The cross-examination also focused on reports that electoral personnel had arrived late at some polling stations because of the remoteness of certain communities, resulting in voting and counting continuing into the night.
Kamara acknowledged that such delays had occurred and said some petitions arose from the affected areas. However, he clarified that not all petitions were related to late arrivals or the timing of voting.
When questioned about the validity of election results where voting continued into the night without a petition being filed, Kamara explained that some elections had proceeded without challenges, while others were being contested on grounds not necessarily connected to the timing of the polls.
He confirmed that the official voting period was between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., after which the counting process would commence.
On the number of delegates entitled to vote in each district, Kamara explained that the figures varied according to the size of the district and the number of constituencies it contained.
Using Falaba District as an example, he said the district had four constituencies, adding that Constituency 17 had 85 delegates.
He contrasted this with Kono District, which has ten constituencies, explaining that the number of delegates differed from one district to another.
Four District Election Petitions Remain Pending
Meanwhile, Ibrahim Sorie, Chairman of the Independent Election Complaints Board, told the court that four district election petitions and three constituency petitions remained pending before the relevant electoral complaints body.
Sorie explained that ten petitions initially affected nine districts and that rulings had been delivered in those cases.
However, he said four additional petitions relating to four districts remained outstanding, alongside three constituency petitions.
He informed the court that hearings on the four district petitions were scheduled for Wednesday, October 28, and Thursday, October 29, 2026, with the intention of concluding all four matters within that period.
Sorie added that efforts would also be made to complete the three outstanding constituency petitions within the same timeframe. If that proved impossible, the hearings could be extended to Friday, October 30.
The chairman also raised concerns about alleged threats, intimidation and insulting messages directed at members of the board, reportedly linked to dissatisfaction with decisions made by the body.
He said that although the board had received cooperation from members, it had also encountered challenges, including what he described as a growing pattern of violence and intimidation.
According to Sorie, some members had received threats of violence and insulting messages intended to intimidate them whenever certain individuals were dissatisfied with decisions that did not favour their positions.
He said these concerns arose as the board continued deliberations on outstanding election petitions and related proceedings.
At the end of the proceedings, Justice Adrian Fisher indicated that he would issue further orders in the coming days to expedite the APC’s internal electoral process.