Main opposition, All People’s Congress (APC) has walked out of the Tripartite Committee according to a press release dated 14th June, 2024 owing to ECSL (Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone)’s refusal to clarify on the 60% election results and to submit relevant documents.
“Given SLPP’s refusal to engage in further discussions and provide the necessary documentation, APC (All People’s Congress) has no choice but to officially suspend its participation in the Tripartite Committee until ECSL produces the necessary information for the committee to conclude its findings and recommendations,” the press release reads in part.
The Tripartite Committee is a body set up to look into alleged irregularities of the June 24, 2023 elections and presents findings and recommendations to the government.
The APC has also accused government of aiding and abetting the refusal by ECSL to release vital data and information needed by the committee so that it can examine the final outcome of the June 24, 2023 elections including the 60 percent announced results.
As it stands, the committee is about to end its work when the opposition decided to walk out at the eleventh hour citing a lack of cooperation from politicians of the ruling party as the main factor.
However, APC’s leadership calls on their supporters to keep cool, calm and maintain the peace as there is a bright light at the end of the tunnel.
According to the press release, no APC supporter should take to the streets or cause harm to anybody or property as the documents submitted are being looked into by credible and neutral professional bodies.
The APC leadership, according to the press release, remains aware of the hardships and distress caused by the fraudulent elections compounded by the deteriorating living conditions in the country, but urges their supporters across the country to respect the law as the party continued to pursue electoral reforms and justice.
The decision to pull out of the Tripartite Committee, though painful, is taken with the aim of getting support from development partners.
Halting its participation in the Tripartite Committee does not however mean that the 7-man team would not come again as the party leadership assures their members and supporters of monitoring the situation and keeping calm. The gridlock at the committee, according to the press release, has been a week-long.
“The All People’s Congress (APC) wishes to inform you of an ongoing stalemate in the work of the Tripartite Committee since a week ago. This impasse is primarily due to the refusal of the SLPP (Sierra Leone People’s Party) government representatives as announced by ECSL (Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone) including the release of disaggregated votes by polling stations despite our party’s willingness to adhere to the Terms of Reference and the signed agreement on national unity,” APC’s press release also reads.
The document also noted that despite best effort and interventions from development partners and friends of Sierra Leone, the ECSL had continued to obstruct the process by failing to produce the requested documents.
The demand made by the APC for the release of the polling-station level results backed by Results Reconciliation Forms to substantiate their announced figures is critical to the review process.
ECSL’s week-long non-cooperation with the election probe became visible owing to request for clarification on the results tendered as demanded by the Terms of Reference (ToR) signed by ruling party, SLPP and the main opposition, All People’s Congress (APC).
The ToR, the press release notes, clearly states in section 4(ii) that the committee shall “request access to all relevant documents, records and information necessary for the conduct of its examination.”
This mandate empowers the Tripartite Committee to demand documents from ECSL and all other election management bodies to ensure a comprehensive review.
Section 92 of the Public Elections Act, 2022 also requires that the release of “summary of all statements of results from polling stations,” and section 2(1) of the Right to Access Information Act, 2013 compels ECSL and SLPP government to adhere to the agreement and to provide transparency and accountability in the election results.
Highlighting the background of the current stand off, the press release further explained that APC rejected outright the results of the June polls but chose to participate in the October-23 internationally mediated dialogue held at the Bintumani hotel in Freetown.
It was a bid to foster peace and national cohesion and seek an amicable resolution to the then political impasse, but the SLPP has reneged on its promise of ensuring the full implementation of key resolutions of the national unity agreement.
ECSL’s refusal to comply with the demands of the Tripartite Committee is a continuation of what many referred to as a disrespect of the of the communiqué signed in October last year for lasting peace in Sierra Leone. From the outset, the ruling has treated the communiqué with a pinch of salt.
SLPP has failed to release political prisoners, discontinue politically motivated cases, resettle victims of political violence and pay a three-month backlog to APC’s parliamentarians and councillors despite promise of deep commitment to the communiqué during the signing ceremony.
Recently, there was a heated argument between Sierra Leone’s Chief Minister, David Monina Sengeh and APC politicians about what actually constituted political trials and prisoners.
Mr Sengeh insisted that they had no political prisoner in custody and that all matters pending in court were “criminal matters.”
Lately, the Chief Minister also accused opposition politicians of bearing a hand in the November 26, 2023 jail break that led to the escape of 1, 890 inmates and that the APC should help bring them for government to fully participate at the Tripartite Committee.
The claim by Mr Sengeh is seen by social and political commentators as evasion of obligations they incurred from the peace communiqué since APC politicians are neither prison officers nor lock-up orderlies. On the other hand, the opposition party has however carried out their own part of the agreement as shown in their press statement.
According to the press note “APC…has honoured all its commitment including a return to governance, submission of a list of politically motivated cases, issuance of a joint statement with the SLPP government denouncing hate speech and active participation in the on-going inter-party dialogue initially convened by the PPRC.”
APC has also participated in good faith in the Tripartite Committee working tirelessly to ensure electoral and institutional reforms, accountability and electoral justice for individuals and institutions undermining the democratic Process as outlined in the Terms of Reference.
APC’s withdrawal from the election investigation body has also created controversies among APC’s rank and file doubting the outcome of the process. They fear the that the work of the Tripartite Committee could be dragged to an indefinite time owing to ECSL’s non-compliance.
But, such fear has been allayed by senior APC politicians that the situation is a big win for the party. They are hopeful of a favourable outcome that will be announced by the Tripartite Committee whether ECSL cooperates or not.
It was the case with the defunct Biobele Georgewill commissions of inquiry whose recommendations were implemented although APC politicians did not appear.