Last Wednesday was a watershed moment for stalwarts, members and supporters of the main opposition, All People’s Congress (APC) after their presidential candidate signed a peace communique said to endorse the presidency of Julius Maada Bio.
No reason was offered as to why he signed, and the grassroot members were kept in the dark thus creating room for bad blood between Samura Kamara and his APC followers.
Inking the communique means the APC soldiers must disengage, get back to their trenches and re-arm to fight another day in 2028.
The cries of betrayal were heard everywhere:the streets, Ataya bases, ghettoes, mosques, churches and even the kitchens especially the family of those whose loved ones perished under the barrel of the gun.
Those whose relatives are still behind bars also raised similar concerns of being used, abused and abandoned to fester in the worst of conditions.
Those whose houses were burned and pounded too felt disappointed, but keptwaiting for the final day. For them, it is still not over until it is over. The souls of those massacred in April, 2019 at the Pa Demba Road prison yard, and the protesters who succumbed fell in the hands of Iron-fisted men in August 10, 2022 as well as September 11, 2023 wailed.
They entrusted their matter in the hands of the Lord as well the living to avenge for them. Matters were worsened even when none of the party’s representatives spoke to their members after the dialogue was inked.
Not even Sidi Yayah Tunis, APC’s official Spokesman could not reach APC’s supporters with the much-expected message. The following day after the singing, Honourable Abdul Karim Kargbo too was visibly absent on air leaving SLPP (Sierra Leone People’s Party) propagandists to dominate the skies.
All those SLPP guys who spoke on the Government-APC dialogue completely rules out a run off election let alone a rerun, a situation that even heightened fresh waves of political tension in the country.
The voters were highly hopeful of either a re-count or fresh election without Bio’s handpicked Chief Electoral Commissioner, Mohamed Kenewui Konneh. These expectations were high since Samura went to the mediation table amid allegations of bribery.
The APC leader and key executive officials were accused of accepting bribes to endorse Bio’s second term, and his signing plunged many into hysteria.
Left broken-hearted and melancholic about their future which has been re-entrusted to Bio, Honourable Abdul Karim Kargbo came out of his comfort zone to educate the people of Sierra Leone why Samura Kamara signed the communique.
Speaking via telephone, Honourable Kargbo informed this press that signing of the communique does not in no way means an endorsement of Bio’s presidency, but it is a way of ending their non-participation in governance.
“The electoral fraud will be investigated and later bring the outcome to the people of Sierra Leone,” Honourable Kargbo informed Nightwatch. This means the battle is still being fought, and the peace communique is just the beginning.
News relayed to this press by credible news channel indicates that Samura Kamara himself has started educating the grassroot about the outcome of the national dialogue which, he says, does not mean an acceptance of Bio’s leadership, but just to lay the foundation for future action.
To further put speculations and fear to rest, kamara will soon tour the country to throw more light on a communique that holds Sierra Leone’s future. Although few members of the public might not be convinced, the communique itself contains no clause that seeks to legitimise Bio’s presidency for another term.
The communique is clear about the release of all persons arrested or detained for alleged election and civil protest, discontinuation of politically motivated cases against APC and other parties and their supporters, support the resettlement of any political party supporter internally or externally displaced due to political intimidation, attacks and harassment, payment of backlogues (salaries and allowances) to all APC parliamentarians, mayors, chairmen and councillors among others.
President Julius Maada Bio, according to APC’s demands, must make a national address on dialogue, unity, cohesion and peace. This body, according to the communique, will examine the electoral systems, structures and processes of the 2023 multi-tier electoral cycle.
The committee will also be informed by previous elections with a view to highlighting and addressing the contentious issues of elections and results management including the collation, verification, authentication and publication of electoral data consistent with international best practice to enhance the credibility of all future elections in Sierra Leone.
It also clear in the communique that the terms of reference will be developed under the joint leadership of the committee within 30 days and the duration of the committee shall be six months commencing from the date of establishment.
It is also a pre-condition that the committee should be gender-balanced and recommendations “actionable” and “implementable.”
At the end of the communique, government and APC jointly condemn “all citizens at home and abroad who incite violence, spread hate speech and disrupt national cohesion.
It is also part of the agreement to bring to justice anyone that incites violence via social media (facebook, whatsapp and Tiktok).
Relocation and resettlement of those displaced by way of state-sponsored violence would likely not be the for the family of those who fell under the barrel of the gun, but a comprehensive reparation package for them.
The third resolution appears to be most thematic issue in the communique. It says “His Excellency the President, in consultation with the APC party, will constitute a cross-party committee on Electoral systems and Management Bodies Review with a three way leadership nominated by the Government of Sierra Leone, the APC party and Development Partners.”
The committee, according to the communique, will examine the electoral systems, structures and processes of the 2023 multi-tier electoral cycle.
It is also clear in the peace document that the investigative body will be informed by previous elections with a view to highlighting and addressing the contentious elections and results management including collation, verification, authentication and publication of electoral data consistent with international best practice.
With such strong systems in place, it is hoped that the credibility of all future elections in Sierra Leone can be enhanced.
The communique also noted the terms of reference will be developed under the joint leadership of the committee within 30 days and will have a life-span of six months from the date of establishment.
The installation of a committee to investigate June polls means there has never been a sell out by Samura Kamara, and the dust is yet to settle. Credible sources have also intimated this press signing approving APC’s demands is Bio’s headache at the moment.
At the mediation table, the APC presidential candidate assured Sierra Leoneans that he would never betray them and that he would fight to the end. He has always warned ECSL and the Government of Sierra Leone to bring back stolen votes or the struggle continues.
Although Kamara is still live, he too has seen intermittent scenes of humiliation and escaped countless assassination attempts by SLPP-backed security forces.
The Mile-38 shoot-out, spontaneous firing at Calaba Town in Freetown and the shooting spree at APC headqauters immediately after the election were clear and calculated attempts to get rid of Samura kamara, but he was alive owing to divine favour.
Kamara also grapples with a litany of cases at the high court involving corruption, and conviction will cost him the presidency and his assets. The only way out is to bring back APC victory so that the shadows of tyranny could be lifted.
The legal albatrosses around his neck and an anticipated backlash from the public will keep Samura away from going into any arrangement to endorse the presidency of a man who collude with a subordinate to steal the people’s votes in daylight.