The Institute for Legal Research and Advocacy for Justice (ILRAJ) together with Sierraeye announced on Thursday afternoon that the Freetown Mayoral Debate will take place on Saturday 3rd June 2023.

The event will see candidates debate against each other at the Freetown City Auditorium on Lightfoot Boston Street.

The debate is themed “Freetown Decides: Building a Better Future for Freetown”.

Organisers for the debate announced that it will be a closed event with invites already being prepared.

Locals in the Sierra Leonean capital have longed to see the two main candidates Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr of the All People’s Congress (APC) and Mohamed Gento Kamara of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) expressed their views on the podium.

The two have criticised each other with Gento calling out Aki-Sawyerr of being tribal. In a reaction, the APC Mayoral Candidate reduced Gento to a bigot.

ILRAJ is a non-partisan institution with one of its focuses being the protection of the rule of law and democracy. The institution has also been a key human rights advocate over the years.

Gento has also accused Aki-Sawyerr of mismanagement but the APC candidate directed locals in the city to re-elect her in order to continue her efforts to transform the capital city.