Millions of Sierra Leoneans are patiently waiting for the pronouncement by the international mediators of a possible transition or a rerun of the June 24 fraudulent Presidential elections. The election results, they said, were not announced as it not reflect the will of the electorate.
Those who contacted this medium said the only way out of the political quagmire is either a transition or rerun to restore public confidence.
All People Congress (APC)’s presidential candidate, Samura Kamara made it clear at the session that, “the failure by Mr Konneh to produce the election results at the district level, led our party to demand a rerun.”
At the moment, it is clear that the results are either not available or if they are in government’s hands, they are hidden because they do not represent the people’s true votes. Kamara was also blunt to say refer Bio and his government as members of an illegal or de facto government.
“At this table, we are dialoguing with colleagues representing an illegitimate administration whose executive, legislature and other public appointments are beneficiaries of a stolen election,” Kamara emphasised.
He however informed the mediators that APC’s paramount interest has always been the maintenance of the country’s peace and security. Their commitment, he went on, to have free, fair and peaceful elections has been attested to in their several press releases, before, during and after the elections.
He also noted that the entire electioneering process was plagued with several instances of premeditated and carefully structured actions aimed at rigging the elections before and throughout the election process.
Kamara cited the perpetration of violence, intimidation and a disproportionate display of gun power against the leadership, members and supporters of the APC as a normal way of life for the Bio regime. In most instances, tribe was used as the most effective weapon.
“We suffered from deep-rooted ethno regional drive that has succeeded in dividing the country, and worst of all, from state capture and partisan use of public institutions, including elections management bodies, which further deepened the divide in the country and fuelled the brutalisation of the opposition in their homes and in their communities simply because they are either APC or North-westerners, or perceived not to have voted SLPP, or carrying a Samura identity” he vented out his frustrations at the dialogue table.
Kamara has also spoken about the instrumentalisation of the police, the military and notably Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone led to a culture of impunity.
The impunity is evidenced by the announcement of votes that did not reflect the will of Sierra Leoneans, and also touched on how APC’s leadership was directly targeted at the party office while election results were being awaited, resulting unfortunately, into one of the APC members eventually killed by the state security forces.
This particular incident and several other extra-judicial killings still remain uninvestigated.
Kamara said, on June 24, 2023, Sierra Leoneans, irrespective of tribal or party affiliations, and continued intimidation, went to the polls in their largest numbers ever seen in a general election to make their voices heard which was very inspiring.
He revealed that they expected free and fair elections since they were essential requirements of a democracy.
In spite of the rumbling, the Chief Electoral Commissioner, Mohammed Konneh could not produce the disaggregated results by polling stations and districts to show that President Bio was the actual winner.
Sierra Leoneans in the diaspora also are optimistic that a rerun, if not a transition, is a must and that every Sierra Leonean must prepare to vote again.
The public especially the APC grassroot have commended the party’s leadership for defending democracy in a trying time.
APC, according to APC Stalwarts, was built on the foundation of national unity and democratic principles adding they repose confidence in the team that represented them at the dialogue.
Their expectation holds that the team must be equipped enough to convince the other parties in the dialogue to think about the country and the common people and to remind them that posterity will judge them for any betrayal of trust.
Dozens of Sierra Leoneans especially APC grassroot continue to remind the mediation team about the effort they have spent to maintain democracy across the globe.
It goes without saying that if they failed to restore democracy in Sierra Leone, they will also fail to restore same in other countries.