APC Chairman and Leader, former President Ernest Koroma has told hundreds of APC delegates and supporters from the nook and cranny of the country that have attended the cancelled party’s Convention to remain peaceful and calm.
He praised the resilience of the membership and recounted that they have showed to the whole world that the party is a party of peace just after the March, 2018 elections.
The Chairman and Leader had made such remarks shortly after Justice Kamanda of the High Court has ruled that the APC National Delegates Conference that had commenced in the Northern City of Port Loko be put on hold.
The Secretary General of the APC had in a press release on Friday acknowledged the ruling of the High Court putting on hold the APC National Delegates Conference scheduled for January the 10th,11th and 12th ,2020 respectively.
The National Secretary General has noted on behalf of the APC that they have taken such a position even when they are yet to be served the ruling of the High Court.
The Chairman and Leader, Ernest Bai Koroma had encouraged the mammoth crowd of APC supporters that had gathered at the Bai Bureh hall in Port Loko on Saturday to maintain the peace as development can only thrive in a peaceful atmosphere.
He thanked them for holding the forth and maintain the peace despite the trails the membership has gone through since the party lost the March, 2018 elections.
He urged flag bearers and other people for various positions to preach a message of peace to the grassroots APC supporters who according to him are very pivotal to the growth, stability and development of the party.
Former President Ernest Koroma stated that the APC’s development agenda and programs are still visible and everywhere. He emphasized that development will only thrive when there is peace.
The former President and Chairman and Leader had disclosed that the APC form henceforth will still be managed under the 1995 Constitution until further notice.
He reiterated the fact that they will abide by the high court ruling as a democratic and law abiding party.
He implored the various structures of the party and its membership to keep the flame burning.
The APC had honored the decision of the High Court in putting a hold on the national delegate conference scheduled for the weekend.
The National Reformation Movement (NRM) a splinter group of the party had prayed to the High court on Friday to put on hold the convention on the grounds that the draft constitution was never propagated to the rest of the membership by the national executive.
Lawyer Ngevao of the SLPP had submitted an exparte motion before Justice Kamanda of the High Court on Friday on behalf of three APC members ,Minkailu Mansaray and two others praying that the said convention be put on hold for a number of reasons.
They have submitted that the draft constitution of the party was not propagated to the party membership across the country prior to the said convention.
They have criticized the Ernest Bai Koroma executive for failing to maintain a very transparent process in the election of constituency delegates to adopt the said draft constitution at the convention.
Justice Kamanda ruled in favour of the NRM and adjourned the matter to Friday 17th January, 2020.
This left the APC with no option but to follow the ruling of the high court despite the huge expenditure involved to gather delegates and other personalities to attend the Port Loko convention.
Many have criticized the NRM for using an SLPP lawyer to challenge their party in a competent law.They have criticized the Judiciary for handing down a judgment within few hours while a good number of political matters are still to be assigned to a judge by the Judiciary.