Months after it was launched, the Tripartite Committee assured Sierra Leoneans of a thorough probe of the June 24, 2023 election and recommend to government for a bright future.

Sierra Leoneans are highly hopeful that stolen votes would be brought back, but latest development has shown that the committee could be of little significance to the task ahead.

In a video that has gone viral on social media platforms, President Julius Maada Bio declared that there would be no election until 2028. He emphasised that June election was over and warned opposition politicians to stop peddling a rerun since seeing as a mere deception.

 As Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Bio seems determined to repel any riot, protest or uprising by any Sierra Leonean.

He made the declaration at a time the election probe is nearing its end. For too long, the people of Sierra Leone have put up with the Bio regime with expectation of getting back their votes and freedom hoping that  the committee would  recommend a rerun or fresh election or declare the opposition leader, Dr Samura Kamara winner of the elections.

However, President Bio’s message is loud, clear and compelling. If properly understood, it means whether significant irregularities are detected or not  at the end of the probe and recommendations are made, they will not be honoured especially one that will cost him the presidential power. Although the message is hard-hitting, the opposition, All People’s Congress (APC) is yet to comment or respond to it .

But, the APC executive is under pressure to counter Bio’s message but none could do so not even the APC Chairman, Minkailu Mansaray. Bio’s latest message is just a way of making his stance clear to the people of Sierra Leone especially APC members, supporters and sympathisers.

 He initiated and sustained such stance since the signing of a peace communique in October, last year.

Clause-3 of the  communique requires that the three sides: SLPP, APC and Development Partners to set up a committee that will look into alleged election irregularities and make recommendations for reforms. For real peace and national cohesion to be strengthened here in Sierra Leone, the two political parties are also obliged to carryout certain duties.

The ruling party, SLPP must immediately release all political prisoners, discontinue all political cases, resettle victims of political violence and pay three-month backlog to opposition parliamentarians.

On the other hand, APC must end it’s non-participation in the governance of the state by taking their seats in parliament and local councils.

Honouring obligations incurred under the communique, APC parliamentarians and councillors had recently taken their oaths and actively carrying out their functions while the ruling party still holds political prisoners, continues political trials, fails to resettle victims of political violence and yet to pay backlogs to APC’s elected officials.

 Instead, government has conducted more arrest and carried politically motivated cases than ever before.

Recently, Chief Minister, David Moinina Sengeh urged opposition politicians to distinguish between criminal and political matters, a move that showed that government is ready to comply with none of those obligations outlined in the communique.

 Even government’s promise of providing $500, 000 (five hundred thousand dollars) was not fulfilled, another clue to Bio’s current stance of no rerun.

Government also greatly undermined the Tripartite Committee by failing to send its officials to bankroll the probe at the appropriate time. Government officials failed to attend the committee’s first session on

Monday of 27th November, 2023 a day after the attacks on police and military armouries in Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown. APC’s co-chair at the Tripartite, Dr Kaifala Marrah  complained about the absence of government officials at the first meeting.

It was quite another difficult job to take government officials to the committee as they promised to go to the committee only if APC help bring back the inmates who escaped in the November 26 jail break.

 Owing to delays by government officials, it took the committee a long time to  start work. In fact, work was expedited only after US offered $1.5m to the committee. US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Greenfield made the donation on behalf of the US government during a visit to Sierra Leone.

Few days after the donation, terms of reference for the Tripartite  Committee were launched at the New Brookfields in Freetown by the two political parties in the presence of foreign diplomats.

The launching signalled a  great start in the election probe, but government officials further insisted on no rerun.

They emphasised that all what was being done was for electoral reforms in the future. The Presidential Adviser, Emmanuel Gaima was blunt about it and at no time he retracted such statement.

The ‘no rerun’ claim means that the June election is over and Sierra Leone must prepare for other election although international community does not fund and recognise the Bio regime.

Locally, Bio also grapples with legitimacy crisis as majority of the people of Sierra Leone do not accept his government. Despite speed bumps along the way, the election investigation still continues with  recommendations yet unknown.

It is clear that government will not accept and implement any recommendation for electoral reforms either now or in the future. Bio’s message is clear “you come with bullet, you will meet bullet.” Why is the Tripartite Committee wasting time and resources?

The people hold the view that if laws made by parliament are discarded by the PAOPA regime to maintain a permanent grip on power, what about ordinary recommendations?