In an exclusive interview with nightwatch, the spokesperson for the Electoral Justice Campaign, Alhaji Mohamed Warisay, clarified several aspects of the campaign for members of the public and indeed the international community.
In the interview during the week, Warisay said they have come a long way as a team and people that believe in justice and an end to impunity.
The All People’s Congress (APC) don said when president Bio signed the tripartite documents at State House he in effect made a commitment to implement the roadmap, disclosing that the Tripartite Committee’s 85 recommendations represent the Bible for their implementation.
Warisay said although the fight for electoral justice is presently on “back pedal”, “Samura Kamara won the fight for electoral justice.”
This is justified by saying the simple fact that the campaign drew the attention of the west to our electoral and other issues and that the president was impressed upon to sign a document and owned up to the fact that he didn’t win the 2023 presidential election means that the fight has been won by the opposition flagbearer.
“This is a transition phase and we want Bio as president to take the lead in adhering to the Agreement for National Unity and the Tripartite Committee to not only own up to but to also implement the transition from president Bio to Dr Samura Kamara. When an election is won the incumbent plans a smooth transition,” said Alhaji Warisay.
Commenting on how the transition will happen, the spokesperson for the electoral justice campaign of the main opposition candidate Dr Samura Kamara said by focusing on what has been stated in black and white, not the rhetorical statements made over the media, the contending parties can start charting a clear path to the implementation of the recommendations of the Tripartite Committee.
“You don’t bring mediocre into government. You bring real people who understand what they are signing up to and what they own up to. Both sides have made rhetorical statements but we are focused on what is written in black and white. We will not listen to political and rhetorical statements but what has been agreed and committed to,” Warisay informed this medium.
Commenting on the “rhetorical/political” statement of ranking partisan Hon. Ibrahim Kargbo, Warisay said it is disingenuous on the part of IB Kargbo to kick against the electoral justice campaign, calling the former minister’s ranting against the campaign “the highest peak of dishonesty in the country.”
He continued: “Fighting an incumbent after an election you don’t start on the opponent’s side saying you are fighting for your own people. You start on your side so the people will know that you are fighting for them. It is the SLPP that should be making such statements, not you that they have stolen from. It is sad, very sad that a man at IB Kargbo’s level and calibre to come and say that people are holding Samura Kamara to ransom.”
Warisay contended that people like IB Kargbo convinced Maada Bio not to sign to what he had agreed to.
“They encourage him from owning up to what he had signed and make statements, not against Bio, but against the people of Sierra Leone. Why when they come to the public they don’t make statements against Bio but the people of Sierra Leone and the APC?” Warisay asked those the question was intended for not limited to Hon. IB Kargbo.
The spokesman for the Electoral Justice Campaign, Alhaji Mohamed Warisay of the APC continued by alleging that Hon IB Kargbo and those speaking against the campaign in the APC are not doing their own bidding.
“IB Kargbo is doing someone’s bidding who is at a higher level in the APC, someone in the position to influence a lot in the party, who are there to do their own bidding and not to have honest discussions. We have gone into the Tripartite Committee and signed documents. Where was IB Kargbo then when the documents were being signed? Why tell the people that you don’t know about electoral justice? Let me make this clear, electoral justice is about accountability for the 2023 elections,” Warisay continued in his remark against members of the APC that have so far stood in the way of the party working together to get electoral justice for the voters and APC flagbearer.
Warisay reminded that US Ambassador Hunt has stated that there are two aspects or sides to the Tripartite and Agreement for National Unity, adding that one is about reform while the other is about accountability.
“As a party whose members they have killed, livelihoods destroyed, and massacred it is the APC that should be pushing for the moral guarantors to ensure accountability rather than talking about reform,” Warisay reminded those speaking against the electoral justice campaign.
Asked about recent comments in the media that Dr Samura Kamara should tell the people, his supporters, the truth, Warisay said such comments are erroneous.
“What is it that they want Samura Kamara to say to people? The truth is we have signed the Agreement for National Unity that asked people and institutions to investigate the 2023 elections; we have set up a Tripartite Committee that investigated and made recommendations with signed findings from all sides, the SLPP, APC, and international community. Those facts and recommendations were put together in the Tripartite Report. We took this document to State House where Maada Bio signed and accepted and owned up what’s in the document. We are therefore calling on people like Diana Konomani to stop misleading or misguiding the people. Our people are not ready for this. They want proper discussions, people to talk with them, and to stand with them,” Warisay stated to this medium in an exclusive interview on the progress of the electoral justice campaign.
The spokesperson for the campaign continued that the people wanted to be engaged on how they can recoup or recover their votes that were stolen in 2023, and therefore posited against any moves or suggestions from anyone in the APC that would suggest or hint at people not being held responsible for the impasse originating from the 2023 presidential vote and result announcement that named Maada Bio as the winner.
“Those make peace recommendations by saying that there are only 80 recommendations instead of 85 means that they don’t want accountability from the SLPP. They don’t want the APC to hold the SLPP accountable. Why are they trying to avoid the accountability aspect? This is something to investigate. Why is the APC trying to avoid accountability? We need to investigate this because it is not an ordinary thing for people to do. Someone does something wrong to you and all you ask them is to just fix or repair the law? You don’t care about justice and then we move forward? No, we are not going to move forward!” Warisay assured members hoping for electoral justice to be dispensed.
He went on that if the party decides to move forward without electoral justice it will be an impediment to unity and would a pattern or a tradition that anyone can organise an election, announce any result without bearing any consequence.
“That’s what we are fighting for, not just for the people of the APC. As far as Dr Samura is concerned he is looking at the entire country, something that will benefit the SLPP, APC, and every Sierra Leonean. When we would have transitioned to a new government, people would get to know that it is clear that Samura Kamara won the 2023 elections. It is rather unfortunate that APC stalwarts are coming out making statements against their own, which is insulting. It is an insult to us because we all know what’s written in those black and white documents for them to now be coming out, and because they are talking to ordinary people, to just say anything like anyhow. It is unfortunate for these people to show signs by their thoughts that they are not sons and daughters of the APC,” Warisay suggested.
Asked to comment on the role of the APC Executive in the electoral justice campaign, Warisay stated that the executives have done absolutely nothing because they don’t want to talk about accountability for the 2023 presidential stalemate.
“They just want the people to look at the 80 recommendations that have to do with reforms. They don’t want to talk about those recommendations that talk about the accountability aspect. When those recommendations came out in thought the APC would dance. In fact they did a three-hundred and sixty degrees turn and told the people that they are moving forward and not looking at holding Bio, Mohamed Konneh, and others accountable despite what they have done to you and the people. They don’t want to talk about them but instead they want to talk about reforms. This is not just from Diana Konomani; remember when the APC chairman Minkailu was asked how far they had gone in the Tripartite Committee in the presence of moral guarantors he focused on the 80 recommendations. Why ask about electoral justice when you have it in the other five recommendations? This is a lack of sincerity on the part of the APC executives as they themselves don’t want to be held accountable for the 2023 presidential elections,” Warisay alleged about the executives siding against the electoral justice campaign while at the same time calling on the party to move forward.
Warisay continued on this tangent, asking: “Why don’t we care about accountability, but do about reform? Reform is not going to hold anyone accountable. The other recommendations are the ones that will be holding people accountable for the wrongs they have done during the 2023 elections.”
The spokesperson for the Electoral Justice Campaign belonging to the APC, Aljhaji Mohamed Warisay in closing asked why the Office of National Security asked IRN not to take results from the polling stations and announce them, which was the usual tradition.
“Why did the ONS made such an announcement that no one should announce the results? That is a crime against the Electoral Law and you are not helping transparency in the process. Rather it helped Bio steal the election before the conclusion. Someone must be held accountable for 2023. Why? The answer is someone has to answer to the crimes and other wrongs.”
The APC’s fight for electoral justice though obviously fragmented is still on “back pedal.” There will soon come a time when the APC and all our moral guarantors including the SLPP will have to put foot to the pedal. Lonta!