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Justice Adrian Fisher will today Wednesday 1st December decide on whether or not the main opposition All Peoples Congress party committed contempt of court in the process leading to the holding of its emergency National Delegate’s Conference in Makeni City that adopted the new party constitution.
Almost immediately after that emergency conference, a senior executive member of the party, Alfred Peter Conteh, through his legal counsel filed a petition to the Freetown High Court against the National Chairman and Leader, erstwhile President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma and the National Secretary General, Ambassador Alhaji Osman Foday Yansaneh for contempt of court.
In his Notice of Motion, Alfred Peter Conteh notified the court that the party did not follow due processes intended for the adoption of its new constitution because some people who were disenfranchised did not participate in the electioneering process, which according to him, was in breach of the August 11, 2021 court orders.
The Complainant also protested that some members that should have served as mere observers in the deliberations leading to the adoption of the new constitution ended officiating the entire process, and according to him, the party has therefore flouted most of the directives of the court orders from the onset.
Justice Fisher is therefore expected to deliver ruling on the matter today. If he rules in favor of Alfred Peter Conteh, it will be catastrophic for former President, Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma and Ambassador Alhaji Osman Foday Yansaneh as they my be fined or imprisoned for contempt of court.
It could be recalled that the conference was facilitated by a 21 man committee with strict supervision by the Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC) as dictated by Justice Fisher’s court orders.
As similar Notice of Motions was consequently filed by Dr. Sylvia Olayinka Blyden with sight conference under Alfred Peter Conteh’s ongoing lawsuit, but was opposed to by Mr Conteh’s Lawyer, because, according to him, it will be inimical to the speedy progress of the matter.
As a result, her 102 pages Affidavit was struck out by the judge and subsequently pardoned by the defendants, erstwhile President, Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma and Dr. Alhaji Osman Yansaneh from paying any cost.
