The much delayed lower-level elections for Sierra Leone’s main opposition party, All People’s Congress (APC) will finally kick off today to elect new ward leaders across the country.
This is according to the Secretary and Head of the Secretariat – Interim Transitional Governance Committee (ITGC), Honourable Abdul Kargbo.
Hon. Kargbo revealed on Twitter that the lower level elections will finally commence today, Thursday 29 December 2022.
“Finally!!! All ward Elections are tomorrow 29th, December, 2022. Please Comrades let’s be peaceful…. In the struggles of APC there is victory,” he twitted.
Up to four thousand five hundred positions are at stake to be grabbed by successful members who will be voted for by the party’s members.
In a recent press release, Hon. Abdul Kargbo informed members and supporters of the APC that the ITGC has accordingly appointed the twenty-four members of the Transitional Interim Independent Electoral Management Committee (TIEMC) to oversee the conduct of the lower-level elections.
The conduct of the electoral executives was one of the orders that were issued out by Justice Adrian Fisher in his recent variation ruling on the contempt charges that were brought against Chairman of the ITGC, Alfred Peter Conteh by the legal representative of the Committee, Lawyer Alpha M. Jalloh.
Already, the 21-Men APC-ITGC has submitted to the Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC) the list of ratified appointees to run the affairs of the Transitional Interim Independent Election Management Committee (TIIEMC) for the conduct of the lower-level and national delegates’ convention as provided for in the said ruling.
Speaking to the press recently, the APC-ITGC Chairman, Alfred Pe- ter Conteh, said that the elections will be carried out at a venue that will be communicated by the TIIEMC, adding that the onus to have free, fair and transparent elections now lies with the TIIEMC instead of the ITGC.
The front-runner for the APC party flag bearer, Dr. Samura Kamara, has urged the grassroots to turn out in large numbers in all wards across the country to vote for their new ward leaders.
He added that voting and being elected are civic rights, noting that this has been anticipated by the party’s base for close to three years.