A public notice signed by the Secretariat of the Sierra Leone People’s Party in the Northern District of Tonkolili has reported the postponement of lower-level elections in two constituencies because of reported skirmishes and tension.

The notice signed by the party’s District Secretary General, Robert Salia Kamara, says the elections in Constituencies 48 in Mile 91 and 50 in Magburaka town have been postponed.

In Mile 91, Constituency 48, the decision is due to heightened violence and an attack on the party’s District Chairman, Ahmed Saybom Kanu.

According to Robert Salia Kamara, the District Chairman was attacked by men believed to be supporters of Mohamed Orman Bangura, Sierra Leone’s Youth Minister, who’s Kanu’s main challenger in the forthcoming election for the SLPP Chairmanship in Tonkolili. Therefore, the District Secretary General said the elections are postponed until after consultation with the Regional Executive.

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“In light of the heightened violence perpetrated by Mohamed Orman Bangura, Abu Mohamed Koroma, Dr John Korokoro Koroma and some guards believed to be unofficially attached to the Chief Minister’s office including Abacha et’al leading to assault against the District Chairman alongside other peaceful grassroots members of the party, the lower level elections in Constituency 048 is hereby postponed for further consultation with the Regional and National Executives,” the notice from the District Secretariat reads.

The Youth Minister and all of those alleged by the District’s Secretary General are not available for comment.

All the elections in the other constituencies, Salia said, should proceed as scheduled.

In the case where there is violence, Salia said members should produce videos as evidence for further actions as stipulated by law.

Accordingly, the Secretary General stated that the District Chairman will tender a formal complaint to the National Executive.

“We urge all party supporters to refrain from violence during this lower-level electioneering process,” the public notice ends.

However, amidst this heightened violence and tension, other sources from the Sierra Leone People’s Party in Constituency 48 say the elections are going on despite the notice from the Secretary-General calling for postponement.

But Salia says as far as the District Executive is concerned, there’s no election in the aforementioned areas and won’t accept whatever results.

Residents in the Tonkolili District have expressed dissatisfaction over what they say is the security threat and tension they have been exposed to since the beginning of the lower-level elections.