Kholifa Mabang Chiefdom long awaited Paramount Chieftaincy elections, ended on Saturday 26th October 2024 after two rounds of voting.
Kholifa Mabang Chiefdom is in Tonkolili District, Northern Sierra Leone. The Chiefdom has been without a Paramount Chief for a long period.
Imran Kamara of the Kurahray ruling house was declared winner and Paramount Chief elect after a tense run off between him and a former Member of Parliament.
According to the final election results announced by the Provincial Secretary of the Northwest region, Imran Kamara, the Paramount Chief elect scored 293 votes and his main challenger, Mohamed Raka Kamara, the former Member of Parliament scared 135 votes.
Seven Candidates were initially on the ballot papers but none of them secured the 55% threshold required by law to declare a winner.
Because of that, a run off was declared between the elected Paramount Chief and his main challenger who ran under the Nafallah ruling house. During the first rounds of voting, both candidates scored 103 votes each.
“By virtue of the powers of confered on me as the returning officer of the 2024 Paramount Chieftaincy elections of Kholifa Mabang Chiefdom, I hereby declared Imran Kamara with 293 valid votes cast as the winner and Paramount Chief elect of Kholifa Mabang,” the Provincial Secretary announced.
Candidates who may feel dissatisfied, the authorities advised must go to Court as required by law.
Immediately after he was announced winner and Paramount Chief elect, Imran Kamara was escorted by armed security officers from the Chiefdom Court Barry in Mabang town where the elections took place to an unknown location.
There were jubilations from the winning camp as well as cries from the losers. As of the time of writing this article, no candidate has petitioned the process