APC’s Abdul Kargbo: Samura Kamara Won 2023 Polls – We Have Our Results

The Parliamentary Leader of the All People’s Congress (APC), Abdul Kargbo, has claimed that the party’s presidential candidate, Samura Kamara, won Sierra Leone’s 2023 presidential election, insisting that the APC possesses substantial election results to support its position.

Speaking on the matter, Kargbo said concerns that the APC lacks its own polling data are unfounded. He stated, “People are saying we don’t have our own results through the RRF forms, I tell you we have many of our results.”

He alleged, however, that the party was unable to collect a complete set of results due to disruptions in certain areas. According to Kargbo, in some strongholds of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), including Kenema and Kailahun districts, APC polling staff were attacked and their result reconciliation forms (RRF) taken.

“In some of the SLPP stronghold like Kenema and Kailahun District our polling staffs were beaten and our RRF forms were taken away by the SLPP guys and that’s the main reason we were unable to collect all our results,” he said.

Kargbo further argued that under normal circumstances, the ruling party would not have emerged victorious. He maintained that Kamara “won fairly” but alleged interference involving the Electoral Commission and political actors.

He referenced the Chief Electoral Commissioner, Mohamed Konneh, claiming that “Mohamed Konneh and the SLPP stronghold boys do something different.”

The APC parliamentary leader also questioned the official outcome of the presidential race, asserting that neither the APC nor the SLPP secured the constitutional threshold required for a first-round victory.

“That election should have gone for second rounds, SLPP did not even have 40 percentage and we the APC did not have 40 percentage too, so second rounds should have happened,” he said.

There has been no immediate official response from the SLPP or the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL) regarding these specific claims. The 2023 elections have remained a subject of political debate in Sierra Leone, with calls from various stakeholders for transparency and dialogue around the electoral process.