No Hiding Place for Bio’s Stolen Elections

Senior politician in the main opposition, All People’s Congress (APC), Dr. Kaifala Marah, has urged the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) to respect Resolution-4 of the communiqué signed in October, last year.

Dr. Marrah, who is representing APC at the Election Investigation Committee (EIC), made the appeal during Tuesday’s press briefing held at Brookfields Hotel in Freetown. The resolution borders on the release of political prisoners, discontinuation of politically motivated cases, and resettlement of those driven from their communities by political violence.

Expressing dissatisfaction with the lack of action from the SLPP since the communiqué’s signing, Dr. Marrah called upon the government, particularly the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL), to collaborate with the tripartite committee and ensure timely progress.

The committee has an important mandate of looking into the June 24, 2023 elections, and making recommendations to the government, with such work to be completed within six months, starting from October last year. He assured Sierra Leoneans that the committee would stand for the truth, and that they must exercise patience and restraint.

Dr. Marrah stated that the ruling party should have implemented some recommendations earlier. He affirmed the APC’s readiness to collaborate with the government and international partners to ensure full implementation of the resolutions.

Speaking for the government, Dr. Emmanuel Gaima highlighted the importance of national peace and unity and assured of President Bio’s commitment to addressing key resolutions, as stated in the agreement. Dr Gaima also disclosed that the agreement for national unity has eight resolutions, but EIC was concerned with only Resolution-3, which borders on the review of controversial issues surrounding the June 24, 2023 polls and previous elections.

But the government representative was blunt to say that there would be no re-run. “For now, we are only doing a review, since we don’t have the mandate to request a re-run election,” Dr. Gaima cleared the air. Dr. Gaima also affirmed the importance of addressing electoral concerns and government’s commitment to upholding democratic values that foster national peace and unity.