Main opposition, All People’s Congress (APC) has been on the horns of a dilemma after June 24, 2023 election as it is now clear that the long-awaited rerun election recommendation is now out of place. It is also crystal clear that none
of APC’s demands would be respected by the Tripartite Committee whose usefulness is being questioned by several quaters.
APC politicians risk new forms of harassment and political intimidation if the PAOPA regime is allowed to rule drawing largely from recent experiences.
APC politicians also equally face danger in the hands of their people if they fail in the election probe conducted by the Tripartite Committee which many say represents the country’s last hope.
All government officials now focus on one thing: the continuity of the PAOPA regime in power till 2028 if not 2030. Credible sources have intimated this press that clandestine constitutional review is going on to strengthen PAOPA’s tight hold on power.
Deputy Justice Minister, Alpha Sesay recently informed the Sierra Leonean public that the Tripartite Committee’s mandate does not include recommending a rerun but come up with recommendations for electoral reforms so that what has happened does not happen again.
For many Sierra Leoneans, probe by the tripartite body is a mere travesty of justice that surrounds the entire election investigation making it difficult for APC to hope for getting back their victory.
The current stalemate renders Cornelius Deveaux’s prediction, five years ago, a reality. Deveaux, former
Publicity Secretary, predicted that it would be difficult for APC to bounce back to power if they fail to take the bull by the horns.
The reality of such prediction has crystalised at the moment.
The ruling party, SLPP (Sierra Leone People’s Party) has won the election albeit alleged widespread irregularities.
No rerun, no run off and no fresh election but electoral reforms according to the United States Ambassador, David Hunt and some government officials.
The former opposition spokesman who made the prediction is today a fugitive seeking refuge in The Gambia, according to sources, after he is declared wanted by the police for alleged incitement. From his hideout, Deveaux recently authored an article expressing critical views on the work of the committee in which APC should repose no hope. His views are also widely shared by several APC politicians as their lives remain on the knife edge.
Although he now lives in a foreign land in constant fear of harassment and detention, Cornelius Deveaux is still remembered and admired to this day as his actions years back turn him an icon.
He was the first to take on the PAOPA regime in early 2018 when it started to adopt what many called unfair actions, policies and laws towards APC with an aim of shutting it down.
The formation of the Biobele Georgewill Commission of Inquiry CoI) was the first step that marked government’s harassment of opposition politicians to say the least.
As Spokesman then, Deveaux also criticised the commission which he referred to as “Kangaroo-styled” for lacking rules of evidence as provided by the constitution.
Section 150 of the constitution states that “The Rules of Court shall make rules to regulate the practice and procedure of all commissions of inquiry,” but it was nakedly flouted since there were no rules of evidence to guide the three ad hoc tribunals.
The constitutional instruments that were presented in parliament were also allegedly faulty according to legal experts.
A seasoned Sierra Leonean lawyer, Ady Macauley challenged the legal instruments in the Supreme Court but not even a single judge was empanelled to hear the petition.
The Kangaroo court continued from start to finish and all those against whom adverse findings were made faced the music.
Their property was forfeited to the state and others faced the Anti-Corruption.
Sharing Deveaux’s views, many Sierra Leoneans did not accept CoI as a legal entity owing to some procedural errors during it’s formative period.
The CoI never enjoyed the approval of a good number of parliamentarians as the votes later showed. Those who said no to the CoI were many than those who said yes.
The erstwhile APC Spokesman also could be remembered for his robust resistance to the removal of 10 APC parliamentarians from parliament through a court judgement handed down in May, 2019. During a shoot-out at police headquarters in Freetown as a proactive measure to quell down any disturbance, Cornelius Deveaux was there calling out APC youth to take on the PAOPA regime.
But, his call was however not honoured with many choosing to go their way leaving him vulnerable to arrest, detention and torture.
Since a man cannot fight a dozen, his only option was to find his way out of the country.
From the outset, Deveaux was strongly opposed to a regime change believing that SLPP (Sierra Leone People’s Party) did not win the elections.
He also did not hesitate calling on the then British High Commissioner, Guy Warrington to stay away from the APC/SLPP politics as Sierra Leone was no longer a colonial state. Many saw Deveaux’s action as a big risk for a party in opposition. The ruling party has the cash and cache to buy others and to crack down those who refuse their money for their parties. Either party faithfuls are arrested and locked up on concocted evidence or brutalised with the use of the gun.
His opposition to the 2018 transition portrayed Deveaux as one with the wisdom of a prophet foreseeing what was to come under PAOPA’s rule.
Deveaux got firsthand information from the thuggish lifestyle of a handful of youth linked to the SLPP who constituted a vigilante group carrying raids to recover what they called stolen government assets. Instead of allowing the police to carry out such function if at all it was genuine venture.
The vigilantes’ operation left several people fatally injured and others tortured and humiliated and the perpetrators were pampered by the authorities.
No one was brought before a court of law to bear consequences of their actions. It was Deveaux’s intention to nip such occurrences in the bud to free APC’s politicians from the PAOPA brutality that made him act robustly at the initial stage.
But, the party’s feet dragging and snail-pace moves over issues that should propel them to action seemed to have discouraged Deveaux and today, they are there.