By Nightwatch Editorial Team
One of the frontrunners in the race of the Flagbearer ticket of the Main Opposition All People’s Congress (APC) party, Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara Esq. also popularly known as JFK, has decried President Julius Maada Bio’s statement at the recently concluded National Delegates Conference of his Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) as not a mere rallying call, but a veiled third-term agenda proposition to his party to confirm his proposition when he stated: “No party has won a straight three-term election in Sierra Leone. We are going to do it.”
When the President made that his euphemistic allusion, at the SLPP conference hall, it was rounded received with applauds and nods of approval. According the JFK, this statement by President Bio should alarm every defender of democracy: “No party has won straight three-term elections in Sierra Leone; we are going to do it.”
JFK highlights that this statement was not just a mere rallying cry, as it is spiced with a chilling admonition to his potential successors: “I haven’t handed you the baton yet, and you’re already running. Where are you running to?”
In the estimation of JFK, “these words may reveal a far darker ambition; probably a calculated move to cling to power beyond constitutional limits, whether directly or by proxy.”
He therefore warns Sierra Leoneans to “dispense with euphemisms,” pointing out that: “This is not party discipline; it appears as a thinly veiled third-term agenda; and if that is so, it must be confronted now before it crystallizes into reality.
The learned Attorney asserted that Sierra Leone’s Constitution is not a negotiable document, and that democracy is not a game of musical chairs where the music never stops for the incumbent.
“Democratic power is not inherited, bartered, or seized through legal subterfuge. It is entrusted by the people, for the people. The moment any leader toys with the idea of overstaying their mandate, they betray the very foundation of our nation,” Joseph Fitzerald Kamara stated. He therefore disclaimed the President’s postulation on the note: “There will be no third term. Not by Law. Not by Force. Not by Coercion.”
Recalling history in that regard, the APC Flagbearer contender proclaimed: “History’s lessons have always ensured that the people always win.” He recalled how Sierra Leoneans have fought this battle before, highlighting the 1996 pre-elections struggles and even during the elections day how citizens braved it for democracy amid the shadows of authoritarian rule. He noted that the people’s defiance was louder than the roar of guns and bombs and their resistance was as stubborn as a donkey refusing to budge and in the end, the people secured a democratic triumph. “That same spirit lives on today,” he assures.
He also reminisced on the 2023 elections with deep chagrin calling its systems and processes as “a stark reminder of what happens when vigilance wanes” and indicated that this time round, with direct reference to the forthcoming 2028 elections, “We will not repeat that mistake. No amount of suppression, intimidation, or orchestrated political theater will silence the will of the people.”
He went on to assured Sierra Leoneans that the Main Opposition All People’s Congress (APC) party stands ready to defend their rights to vote in a convivial atmosphere, but not only that, but to protect the people’s votes such as to reflect their popular will of choice of who should lead them. He therefore made a passionate appeal to Sierra Leoneans to muster that courage, that vigilance calling out: “And so must you.”
He reinforced this commitment thus: “The All People’s Congress, alongside every citizen who cherishes democracy, is prepared not just to campaign but to defend the sanctity of our Republic. We will expose every backdoor maneuver, every legal sleight of hand, and every attempt to subvert the people’s voice.”
He reminded the people that Sierra Leone belongs to them as a people, not to any one party, and implored his compatriots “to speak out again loudly, decisively and unmistakably in 2028.”
JFK categorically noted that Sierra Leoneans need no reminder of this truth. “After all, in 1996 Sierra Leoneans gave a dose of their will to the ruling elites, when they clamoured for election before peace, as against the government’s red herring call for peace before elections. The people won and will win again this time round. The clock is ticking and Democracy will prevail,” he conclusively asserted.