The National Grand Coalition, NGC, leader in parliament, Hon. Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella, received praise from His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio for spending New Year’s Day with him in Tihun, where he was born, and called for peaceful elections.

Recall that on 14 March 2022, the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone declared 24 June 2023 for the multi-tier elections and on 21 October 2022, it announced the use of the District Block and Proportional Representation system, acting within the bounds of the authority granted to it by law.

Therefore, when the President spoke at the New Year’s Day mass at the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Tihun, Sogbini Chiefdom, he was urging citizens, political party leaders, and their supporters to ensure peaceful voting, adding that elections violence should not be allowed to enter before, during, or after the polls.

“We want a multi-tier election that is free and fair. In the past, our elections have been characterised by bloodshed, which we will not tolerate during this year’s election,” he said.

President Bio added that “this should be a special year” because “there will be multi-tier elections in the country, and we should never allow the 2023 elections to be tainted by political violence.” The president also noted that the ruling Sierra Leone Peoples Party had always been committed to peaceful, free, and fair elections.

“We successfully made it through 2022, which was a really challenging year. The COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war significantly disrupted the world’s supply chain, which ultimately increased the cost of commodities.

He expressed hope that everyone in Sierra Leone and the rest of the world would have a very prosperous year as “we continue to look up to God for good news.”

The leader of the NGC in Parliament, Dr. Yumkella, also referred to as KKY by his political followers, attended the service on Sunday along with other guests as a demonstration of political tolerance and racial harmony.