Politicians’ tactics of exploitation of the masses seems to have failed these days as the people have gotten wise to their tactics.
The outright rejection of calls to take to streets made by the opposition, All People’s Congress (APC) and the social media ventriloquist, Abdul Will Kamara aka Adebayor shows that the people have taken a different direction.
Sierra Leone’s youth have rebuffed calls made by APC politicians to resist in the streets the appointment of the new Chief Electoral Commissioner, Edmond Alpha saying it is illegal.
Opposition politicians say Edmond Alpha’s appointment is not in accord with the law which requires proper consultation with leaders of all registered political parties.
After appeals to the presidency to reverse the appointment fell in deaf ears, APC’s elected officials: parliamentarians, mayors, chairmen and councilors staged a boycott and called on their constituents to embark on a nationwide protest.
The calls came after APC politicians left parliament using the usual so-called social advocate Adebayor residing in Netherlands, thousands of miles away from home.
The 26th and 27th of this month was slated for the street protest, but the grassroot refused to heed to the calls of their politicians saying the law and not chaos should prevail this time.
Speaking to Nightwatch press, an ardent APC supporter, Abu Kamara says they are no more ready to go to the streets since their politicians have failed them.
When asked further, is clear that Kamara looks up to the law and nothing else.
“We will no longer go the streets to protest against any action taken by government. For now, we rely on the law to fight for us, and we are quite hopeful about this,” Kamara expressed hope while expressing doubt about the sudden call for protest.
The young APC supporters spoke frankly and bluntly that he expected APC politicians to call for protest on the day the election results were announced in favour of the incumbent, Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and not now.
But, they chose to stay silent and called for a protest after the government is into its third year of its second term, a period that is not far away from the 2028 election.
Staying silent for a long time, Kamara went on, meant they had accepted the government and President Julius Maada Bio to rule.
“Why can’t APC put their house in order, wait for 2028 and contest and win election,” Kamara asked albeit rhetorically.
Sounding in the same tone, Osman Kargbo, another grassroots APC member who said they had been assured by their party that APC would win the 2028 election come what may.
But, he was taken aback when APC’s parliamentarians and councilors deserted parliament and councils over walked out of parliament over the appointment of a man who they had approved, a move that raised large eyebrows on their moves.
“As far as I understand, APC should have left parliament on the day the new Chief Electoral Commissioner was appointed ahead of approval. They should not leave after approving the man and at the same time call for protest,” Kargbo criticized the APC leaders for what he called hypocrisy.
Kargbo also went further to state that they had been patient for close to three years looking up to the international community to bring sanity to Sierra Leone’s politics.
Like Kamara, Kargbo vehemently reject any call for protest as he looks back at recent history.
“On several occasions, that is, before 2023 elections, we have come out against the government to compel them do what is right, but none of the protest provided the answers we needed. All what we saw was killings, arrest and detention, and we don’t want to fall victim of the same situation,” he said.
A government report that was released in 2022 confirmed some killings during protest for which then Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Lahai Lawrence Leema was implicated.
Owing to sad past, no APC supporter would venture the streets again to protest against the government since it would yield to nothing. For that reason, they decided to comport themselves as they call on the international community to come to their aid.
The youth wanted to see the post-election standoff resolved by diplomatic means so that normalcy can return to the country again.
Recalling the words of President Ahmed Tejan Kabba during the singing of the Lome Peace Accord of July, 1999, he advised Sierra Leoneans that never again shall they resort to violence to solve matters of public importance.
Though gone, but the late President’s call for peace at all times still lingers in the minds of the youth.
Apart from the youth’s disenchantment with the APC leadership, key party stakeholders also condemn the party leaders for being trapped in what they called a “political quagmire” and “moral crisis” in the aftermath of the 2023 elections.
Although local and international reports criticized the election as one that was rigged and therefore lacked the will of the the people of Sierra Leone, the APC quickly endorsed the elections and supported Bio’s presidency.
They kicked against going to the court to challenge the election results on the grounds that the results were not published on the ECSL website and owing to the fear that the scale will be tilted in favour of the ruling party.
The question APC politicians have been asking is: what are we going to challenge in court?
But, political commentators observed that the only way to solve an election dispute is within the framework of the law and that APC ought to have gone to court. One of them argues that “it does not mean if you try it once, it does not work, you should not try it again.”
On the other side, the APC scribe, Lansana Dumbuya too turned his back against then flag-bearer and presidential candidate, Samura Kamara as he invoked relevant provisions of the APC Constitution to support his stance.
One of those provisions touches on the vacation of Samura Kamara from the office of leader of the party.
According to the APC Constitution, any presidential candidate who loses an election must step down after six months and hand over to the chairman of the party.
Analysts say most of APC’s top cream were not happy with the presence of Samura Kamara in the party referring to him as a stranger.
Others also see him as a mere technocrat and not politician and therefore not au fait with the intricacies and realities of politics.
Samura Kamara, amidst the political row, gave up his office and took the back seat for peace to prevail.
But, such action came after the peace mediation at the Bintumani Hall in Freetown where APC submitted several demands to government, pressing that they had to be complied with if they were to return to parliament and councils.
Payment of backlogs was central to the three-day peace talks at the detriment of those APC grassroot and supporters who fell into the police net during waves of protest particularly August, 10, 2022 demonstration.
The vast majority of APC members and supporters expected the negotiators to put the issue of release of what they called “political detainees” and the discontinuation of “politically motivated court cases” at the centre of negotiations.
Such failures to put the interest of the grassroot first was calculated to mean that the boycott was to attract public attention and meant for their own benefit.
In 2023, APC parliamentarians and councilors boycotted parliament for close to three months, but later took up their seats after the peace talks.
But, this time, they appear to have lost grassroot support owing to credibility problems. They have never come out public to defend themselves from allegations of exchanging votes for personal gains.
Even their once revered social media advocate, Adebayor has lost a common touch with the masses as he is widely seen as a puppet of APC’s perceived corrupt politicians.
The loss of such hope leaves the grassroot with no option but to urge APC to use the law this time to settle pollical differences.