Sierra Leone’s June 24 elections appears to be over but not yet over until the stand off passed off peacefully. Reports submitted by local and international observers indicate that the elections “lacked transparency,” a move that prompted the opposition, All People’s Congress (APC) to boycott all levels of governance until the right thing is done.
The post-election stalemate does not augur well for Sierra Leone, a country that has shown visible signs of an all-out conflict. To ensure that Sierra Leone’s peace is maintained, a team of Commonwealth officials including the Commonwealth Secretary-General are here in Sierra Leone to broker a peace deal although the shape and form the negotiation will take remains unclear at the moment.
The Commonwealth team’s arrival is a follow up of repeated appeals the organisation made to the country’s two political parties to ensure that peace and unity prevails. The opposition leader, Dr Samura Kamara’s response to the appeal was positive.
He assured the Commonwealth Team that he was ready for peace at all cost but that did not mean he would compromise APC’s stance. In a recent address to APC grassroot members, Dr Kamara made it clear that that APC will not play second fiddle as “the party holds where it still holds” meaning APC still maintains its stance in respect of the controversial elections.
Commonwealth comes at a time the United states have adopted tough measures against government officials in Sierra Leone for election rigging. Aid has been cut off, travel ban slammed and other tough measures to be announced soon.
Other inter-governmental agencies: the UN, EU, AU, ECOWAS, World Bank and International Monetary Fund have turned their backs against Sierra Leone owing to what they called “rigged elections.”
Back home, threats of demonstrations against high cost of living hang on the air as fear and panic is seen everywhere after the elections. Residents in Freetown embark on panic buying as they stock their food stockpiles saving for a rainy day.
In spite of the signs of conflict in the country, President Julius Maada Bio is not moved as he continues appointing and dismissing ministers creating the impression that his government is legitimate. He however retains the ambassadors, high commissioners and other principal representatives abroad as he still holds the forte against all odds.
The President Bio who many see as illegitimate still continues his trips overseas struggling for international recognition. Commonwealth’s presence in Sierra Leone is most timely at the moment owing to its support to Sierra Leone over the years.
Commonwealth was founded and led by Britain, Sierra Leone’s former colonial power and all other countries are former British colonies. Britain which leads the Commonwealth plays a significant role in the 2018 transition from then ruling APC to SLPP which was in opposition.
Signs of a regime change were visible towards the end of the Ernest Bai Koroma regime, and Britain, through her High Commissioner in Sierra Leone, Guy Warrington facilitated the political change.
Now, another opportunity for the UK to show her strength in the election stalemate has resurfaced although there is a little difference.
Koroma’s political transition occurred in the last days of his second term while Bio’s end of mandate is taking place in his first term, a move he is certainly not comfortable with.
He would not like to make sad history for being the first one-term President in multi-party democratic Sierra Leone.
At the moment, many Sierra Leoneans see no prospect for any compromise plan since Bio’s record of human rights remains appalling.
Seeing Bio out of power is the only one thing many Sierra Leoneans have always wanted to see after the elections since it is already made clear that Bio does not win the elections.
But, it is hoped that the negotiation will be a win-win for the two sides, the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and the opposition, All People’s Congress (APC). Recently, the APC Regional Chairman, Kasho Holland Cole informed APC members that the party was ready for a compromise with the SLPP government, but APC’s conditions remains tough.
Almost two weeks ago, the APC Regional Chairman says the party has submitted thirteen points, and opting for a re-run is a core on the fore.
APC hopes to have a headway as long as the electoral process is free and fair. The opposition party wanted to see an election in which Mohamed Kenewui Konneh is out of the scene.
Konneh is head of ECSL (Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone), a body mandated by law to conduct and supervise all public elections in Sierra Leone.
He declared incumbent candidate, President Bio winner of June, 2023 elections amid widespread irregularities, violence and intimidation of opposition politicians.
Bio, on the other hand, remains confident saying he would defeat APC in the ballot box anywhere, anytime. The political situation is a tough one at the moment for the Commomwealth team as the two sides claim election victory, but hope remains high that peace will prevail at last come what may.
Sierra Leone became a conflict and panic-stricken country after President Bio was declared winner of the elections for which the people of Sierra Leone are putting up the strongest resistance.
Local and international observers condemned the elections and calls for an outside investigation so that there could be a credible result.
NEW (National Elections Watch), an umbrella body of civil society organisations, also made it clear that no candidate in the elections got the constitutional threshold of 55 percent to avoid a run-off.
NEW boss, Marcella Samba Sesay informed Sierra Leoneans that Bio did not win 2023 elections and that the President’s existence is illegal, and must be reversed by way of another elections.
On several occasions, Marcella had cause to escape from several death attempts. Currently, she is out of the country seeking a safe place in the UK, and it is not yet clear whether Marcella has returned home.
At the moment, the people of Sierra Leone finds it difficult to accept Bio’s re-election the same way the international community fail to recognise President Bio after the June 2023 election.
The people of Sierra Leone see Bio as a man that is unreliable as the spate of killings, harassment and intimidation continues even when SLPP calls for negotiation with the opposition.
With another five years, human rights abuses would also continue. Observers in the public and media hold the notion that President Bio did not rule as if he needed a second term.
They argue that political thuggery, harassment and intimidation define his leadership beginning right to the end. Former APC politicians were gone after by way of sham trials and even grassroot party members were also equally targeted.
For the observers, Bio’s conduct represents a big political threat even to members of other political parties, but SLPP politicians justify their party’s action making reference to the one-party politics created by late President Siaka Stevens, APC’s founding member and leader and that APC only implemented it.
But, the notion of the one-party has been debunked by an experienced APC politician, Foday Osman Yansaneh who said the one-party state was begun by the SLPP under Sir Albert Margai, Sierra Leone’s second Prime Minister.
One-party system of politics was lawful at that time owing to coups and counter coups as well as bloody revolutions on the continent. But, a one-party system will not survive these days.