At the last hour, South-easterners’ hope has been dashed again as it has come out clearly that ECSL (Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone) has submitted to the election probe, Ernest out of the country and President Julius Maada Bio coming closer to opposition politicians to build bridges.
South-Easterners do not want to see any of these actions taking place as they pressed for a second term at all cost. They always argued that democracy is 10 years, work or no work. Reliable sources have informed this press that the election body, the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL) has shown readiness to cooperate with the election investigators to know what went wrong during the election, how did it happen and what could be done to prevent it from happening again. The terms of reference that will guide the investigation have been endorsed although they are yet to be made public.
However, the terms will not stray too far from a through probe into the various electoral stages of counting, tallying and tabulation of votes leading to the pronouncement of what many referred to as an “illegal candidate.”
The investigators will also look at the procurement processes that lead to the printing of sub-standard and faceless voter identity cards. The tribunal, after the development of the terms of reference, is now in full control for which the tribunal officials have received commendation and appreciation from members of the public.
Work will now commence after months of delay with hopes the investigation will be carried out devoid of any political gimmicks. The Election Investigation Committee (EIC) which consists of members of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), main opposition, All People’s Congress (APC) and Development partners is set up to look into alleged electoral irregularities of the June 24, 2023 multi-tier elections.
The committee should make “actionable” and “implementable” recommendations and the people expect fresh election as it is the only move that will bring peace and stability in Sierra Leone. The EIC was provided for in a communiqué that emanated from a three-day dialogue brokered by the Commonwealth, African Union and ECOWAS (Economic Community Of West African States) to end the post-election stalemate that continue undermine peace and stability in Sierra Leone.
A rerun election would renew hope of Sierra Leoneans getting the MCC (Millenium Challenge Corporation) grant which amounts to US$750m, a sum that will solve most of the country’s problems if properly utilised.
ECSL, according to reliable sources, had not been cooperating with the EIC AS its official refused to appear before the investigators frowning at an election audit. Chief Electoral Commissioner initially appeared in no mood to produce the election results as demanded by the voters and the international community fearing dangerous consequences that might come his way.
Announcement of another election results by Mohamed Konneh will counter those he released in June 27, 2023 and put the incumbent, President Julius Maada Bio in disrepute.
In the past elections, Bio got 56.17% leaving 43.83% for APC according to ECSL statistics and Konneh has been supporting his stance that the election is credible despite several criticisms from Sierra Leoneans particularly the opposition party and the international community.
Konneh’s interference with the electoral legal framework and his manner of appointment were factors that watered down the credibility of the elections.
On the election eve, ECSL championed the enactment of four major laws: the Proportional Representation (PR) Regulations, the Local Government Act, the Political Parties Regulation Commission and the public Elections Act all passed in 2022. These laws, by their nature, are draconian and it is a way of having political parties out of the race.
The PR system, for instance, took smaller political parties out of the electoral contest owing to the 11.9 population quota recommended by law. Under this law, a political party is qualified to have a seat in a particular district only if it can score the legally prescribed 11.9%. It is as result of this law that such political parties as Unity Party, Alliance Democratic Party, People’s Democratic Party and others were completely kept out of the political race.
According to a prevailing public opinion, the PR was uncalled for as Sierra Leone was not at war within itself or another country. The system was however first introduced to Sierra Leone’s politics in 1996 and 2001 elections during which several parts of the country were no-go areas owing to the war.
Claims about the use of the PR system in war or life-threatening situations was bolstered by the arguments of one Sierra Leone’s oldest and brightest lawyers, Dr Abdulai Osman Conteh, one-time Attorney-General and framers of the 1991 Constitution.
It came out clearly in his argument that ECSL could only adopt the PR model of elections when a date for elections had been announced and there were no constituencies, but it was a different case for Sierra Leone.
“For the 2023 elections, a date has been announced and there are constituencies,” Dr Conteh argued at the Supreme Court.
Even the Public Elections Act, 2022 was also tailored towards support to the incumbent candidate as opposition political parties were not permitted to coalesce. ECSL maintained the legal system at that time despite criticisms from opposition politicians and the international community particularly ECOWAS parliamentarians who said the rules could not be changed at the middle of the game.
ECSL adopted and enforced the laws despite widespread criticisms from local and international circles. South-Easterners’ hope was also endangered owing to the departure of former President Ernest Bai Koroma from Sierra Leone to Nigeria at the peak of a treason trial.
Koroma who was arrested and detained for treason alongside other accused persons was granted leave to temporally relocate to Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, seat of ECOWAS. South-Easterners hit out at President Julius Maada Bio for letting go his predecessor as they wanted to see the former President either killed or jailed for a crime which, many said, he bore no hand.
Angered and disappointed at Bio’s permission for Koroma to leave, a senior SLPP member in the diaspora threatened to wage a personal war against President Bio if he failed to reverse his decision. A good number of South-Easterners wanted to see the former President Back home and continue his trial.
For them, Koroma is already guilty before proved guilty be a court of law and must be jailed for life even if he is not killed. They cared less about whether the former President was helpful to Bio or not.
They are still not convinced about the President’s ill-health and Nigeria is not the place where the former Head of State should go to seek medical treatment if at all he was released on medical grounds. The backlash against Bio continues as shown in one of the widely circulated audios in which an official of the SLPP Elders’ Council who said he was badly disappointed with Bio’s unilateral decision to let Koroma off the hook.
He said President Bio ought to have consulted the council prior to the release of the ex-Head of State.
As he looked back at history, the SLPP official said they had gone through a lot in the preservation of the party for generations to come although he and his children remain jobless, but Bio’s decision has put them off.
South-Easterners’ hope also has been shattered by the compromising or consoling messages conveyed to the opposition by President Bio in his address to the nation a day after former President Koroma left Sierra Leone.
In a speech from the throne, President Bio appealed to Sierra Leoneans to come together and work in the interest of peace and national cohesion for Sierra Leone to move on.
South-Easterners became more infuriated when a video emerged on social media platforms showing President Bio interacting with the former President on the eve of his departure to Nigeria. Reliable sources informed this press that President Bio appeased and apologised to the former Head of State for the humiliation and embarrassment.
The pain remains as Ernest leaves the country, but South-Easterners will be much more disappointed when fresh election is held this year and Bio hands over power to the true winner of the elections.