The time-honoured proverb of a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush makes great sense for APC (All People’s Congress) members who have been cowed into foregoing the current victory and wait for 2028.
Reports by local and international election observation missions show that the incumbent, President Julius Maada Bio failed to make it in the polls in spite of the fanfare, pump and pageantry around him.
Election observers of the European Union, African Union, Commonwealth, Economic Community Of West African States, G7+ and the American election Tink-Tank, Carter Center Foundation condemned the June polls for “lacking transparency.”
The reports also picked up what they referred to as “statistical inconsistencies” and “mathematical inaccuracies” that watered down the credibility of the electoral process.
The local observer group, NEW (National Elections Watch) also claimed that no candidate got the constitutional threshold of 55% to avoid a run off relying on the PRVT (Process and Result Verification for Transparency) model which has been used for Sierra Leone’s past elections.
The June election was the first in multi-party Sierra Leone to be declared as a sham by local and global election observation bodies, a move that placed APC on a position of advantage in the struggle to take back its stolen victory.
Funding cuts and travel restrictions imposed on the Bio regime by the international community particularly, the United States is also a tap on APC’s back not to give up in the fight to get back the stolen results.
However, some senior APC politicians see a good fortune in letting President Bio go ahead with his second term owing to assurance of relinquishing power in 2028 when he shall have exhausted his constitutional two-term limits.
What a fatal error to even think about waiting after a victory especially for a regime that hardly keeps to its promise especially one that will cost them the presidency.
It is also argued that waiting for 2028 means no serious election as the people already know who will be President at that time.
It is also safe to say that the proponents of 2028 power transfer also walk in the dream world and swim in a perilous sea as they appear to have looked at one side of the coin and ignores the other side.
The laws including the Constitution of Sierra Leone which APC relies on could be easily bulldozed and trampled on by the PAOPA government to have their way as they did quite lately.
Strong electoral laws were in place including the Constitution of Sierra Leone but were lawlessly tampered with to suit government’s convenience in the ballot box, and such action still went on a year to the election.
The promulgation of the Proportional Representation Regulations, the Political Parties Regulation Commission, Local Government and Public Elections laws by the SLPP-led government means that APC should have little hope for 2028.
Trampling on the relevant laws also continues as constitutional review is being carried out from behind the scenes.
A senior APC politician and lawyer, Ady Macauley recently tweeted that the Bio regime embarked on a “secret constitutional review” whose objective remains unknown.
But, political commentators have consistently argued that government’s main objective is to make the two-term constitutional limit limitless so that Bio would go in for the presidency as many times as it pleases him.
The move to remove the two-term limit presents government as one lending a leaf from the constitutions of several countries in West Africa, but it is one that may not end well.
A limitless presidential term is one that is well cherished by dictators and autocrats who find it difficult to relinquish power after their tenures owing to fear of prosecutions for atrocities committed under their watch. However, they are often unsuccessful.
The world saw how such attempt boomeranged when ex-Gambian President, Yayah Jammeh tried it and failed after 20 years in power. It was also the same with ex-Guinean President, Alpha Conde who forced his way to a third term after a successful two-term rule.
It was also a big argument for men in the streets that President Bio will adopt the litigation tactic against those stubborn APC members that will come for the power in 2028.
What about if Bio succeeds in making the constitution limitless and runs again in 2028 and proclaim another treason that will see the arrest and detention of key APC members.
Who can imagine that the “security breach” announced by President Bio in November 26, 2023 after alleged attacks on police and army facilities would metamorphose to a “coup attempt” that led to dozens of arrest, detention and deaths.
Who will also think that former President Ernest Bai Koroma, one of Africa’s most celebrated democrats would go into exile to escape treason trials?
The PAOPA government pronounced four coups in a row after declared winner of the 2018 election.
The first coup was one made against former President Koroma by Lahai Lawrence Leema, SLPP’s Publicity Secretary. Within a week of PAOPA in Power, Leema alleged that the former President was planning to topple President Bio.
The second was the one in August, 2022 calling during a protest for Bio to step down owing to an ever-growing economic hardship.
Another coup was the one made in August, 2023 resulting into the arrest of several retired and sacked police officers including Chief Superintendent of Police, Mohamed Turay aka Yaetay Yaetay who was seeking asylum in neighbouring Liberia.
The forth was the one in November, last year for which trials still rage on. Those who run out of luck upon arrest are extra-judicially executed with Major Conteh being a recent victim. He was said to have been shot dead to prevent his escape.
Apart from the coup phenomena, the unreliability of the SLPP-led government must also come to mind as APC attempts to make a costly sacrifice that will hunt them for the rest of their lives.
President Julius Maada Bio signed a communiqué for peace and national cohesion but failed to implement most of its resolutions particularly the fourth which borders on the release of political prisoners, discontinuation of “politically motivated court cases,” resettlement of victims of political violence and payment of backlogs to APC’s elected officials (parliamentarians, mayors, chairmen and councillors).
Close to a year after signing the communiqué, Political prisoners are still behind bars, political trials still pending in courtrooms, Victims of political violence are in their hideouts and backlogs yet to be paid.
Even when questions about dropping the corruption case of APC’s opposition leader, Dr Samura Kamara come up during discussions and debates, government officials often argue that they have only “criminal matters” and not political cases.
Sierra Leone’s Chief Minister, David Moinina Sengeh is on the forefront of such controversies as he implored APC politicians to bring back the inmates that broke loose in November, 2028.
Such arguments clearly portray government as one not ready to abide by the provisions of the communique, a document which the Chief Minister signed on his volition.
Even the Tripartite Committee launched by President Bio was considerably undermined by government’s evasive tactics just to hold on to power.
They first boycotted meetings and failed to release the much-needed funds to keep the Tripartite Committee up and running. The committee was however brought to life only after the United States offered $1.5m, and government was also compelled to cooperate with the election investigators.
Despite the glaring show of resistance by the PAOPA regime, APC members still hope to have a way in 2028 when most will not live to tell the story. A word for a wise is quite sufficient than 100 blows on a fool’s back.