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The outgoing national executive of the main opposition All Peoples Congress (APC) has, during a meeting held at party headquarters on Old Railway Line, Brookfields, recently disclosed that the party will not Appeal against the latest court ruling handed down by Justice Adrian Fisher in the petition matter filled by Alfred Peter Conteh.
Giving the keynote, the outgoing national secretary General, Ambassador Alhaji Osman Foday Yansaneh said that both the party membership and its legal team have carefully perused the details in the ruling and has decided to go on with the implementation of the ruling instead of appealing against the judgment.
He furthered that contrary to some fears of a major split within the party membership, the latest ruling has brought in more strength and unity I the rank and file of the party hierarchy, adding that due to the huge show of support from the entire membership there is no need to revisit the court ruling.
Ambassador Foday Yansaneh also noted that all the dissolved chairpersons and other executive members have agreed to vacate their position and wait for the upcoming internal lower-level and national executive elections which is expected to be organized and supervised by the court ordered 21-man interim Governance transition Committee (IGTC) and the political parties registration Commission (PPRC).
Although there are some parts of the ruling, he went on, the party membership is happy to see an end to the court matter as it has prevented the party from holding important party activities. Ambassador Yansaneh pointed out that time is no longer a friend to the APC as the main opposition can now prepare to take part and win the forthcoming elections, come 2023.
On his part, the outgoing national Youth League President who served as chairman of the occasion, Bai Mamoud Bangura disclosed that this has never been the first time for the court to dissolved the APC executive, noting that when such actions are taken against the APC the party always wins the subsequent general elections.
He made references to the 2005 APC court saga in which the High court also dissolved the party national executive and replaced it with a caretaker executive, adding that Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma who later emerged as chairman of the party in 2002 went on to win the 2007 presidential elections. The outgoing APC Youth League President called on all APC members and Supporters.
While educating party members on the ruling, Hon. Timbo gave an insight in some of the necessary details and relevant areas of the ruling.
According to Lawyer Timbo, even when the court has dissolved the current executive from their positions, members of APC, adding that the affected members still members of APC, adding that, the affected members still have the right to contest for their positions again in the upcoming internal lower-level and national executive elections if they so wish and possibly win back.
The legal luminary also explained some of the roles and responsibilities handed over to the 21-Man ITGC, including but not limited to, their composition and decision-making rights, their right to organize and supervise the lower-level internal elections and National Delegates’ Convection (NDC). He also spoke on the mandate of the Committee to conduct a forensic audit on the financial activities on the party from the 2017 to date. Hon. Timbo also spoke on the timeline of activities issued out by the court leading to the first national Delegates Convection of the party under the new 2022 APC Constitution. He concluded that despite being removed from his office, the outgoing secretary General still has right to work with the 21-Man committee as an when needed.
The Exclusive Newspaper reports that, several other senior APC stalwarts have supported the stance not to appeal the judgement but to continue with their preparations.
