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Due to the contentious debate over the fairness of the June 24 elections, the All Peoples Congress Party elected members of Parliament boycotted the oath taking session of Parliament on 13 July 2023 due to the party’s (APC) decision, informed by its supporters and members, to stay away from participating in governance until certain demands are met,.
The implications of this boycott are not immediately clear but beg the various questions whether President Bio will adopt a more conciliatory approach? Or the serious controversies surrounding the June 24th elections are addressed?
Former Attorney General, Joseph Fitzgerald has opined that the current SLPP government faces legitimacy challenge and the people face governance challenge. He further admonished that the current impasse cannot sustainably lead to peace and Prosperity. He affirmed that the thrust-electoral fraud needs to be primarily addressed to restore confidence and stability because peoples vote, like their lives must be secured.
Elected member of Parliament, Osman Timbo has also states ”I wholeheartedly, without any form of compulsion, endorse my party’s (APC) decision, informed by its supporters and members, to stay away from participating in governance until certain demands are met, primary amongst them (in my view) is the publication of the disaggregated polling station results to corroborate the flamboyant results read out by the ECSL – remember, this ECSL and other state institutions and CSOs have many a time reminded us that it is the ECSL that has the sole mandate to publish results.
Final results MUST accurately represent the total tally of those votes validly cast at every polling station. It should not take more than a day after the announcement of the final results for that to be published (for the sake of transparent and ‘saful’ elections) as even an uneducated man would expect that it is a simple addition of the 1 + 1 votes from the polling stations that should equal to the total final figures announced”
He also noted the US Embassy Freetown post urging the opposition not to boycott Parliament for the sake of democracy, stating that ‘those who voted for the opposition need to have their voices heard’. However, he affirmed that those who voted for them have asked them not to participate.“Isn’t our silence loud enough? Remember how much we spoke and did in the last 5 years? Well, now we’ve chosen to keep quiet and mind our business. In this case, our silence does not mean consent. Silence here, is golden”
Dr. Njai recently opined that everyone is crying out for peace in Sierra Leone, but no one is crying out for social justice and equity, which is fundamental for creating and maintaining peace. He pointed out that Crying out for peace, when that peace is based on your neighbours oppression will not bear good fruits or lead to a healthy progressive peaceful society. Telling people to move on after an incident without healing is simply telling them to accept wrongful acts in society and normalizing those behaviors.
Many believe that APC current action is in line with the late Martin Luther King Jr. Philosophy which dictates that “Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.”
APC keep on boycotting while the governance goes on smoothly. All we need is perfect peace like we are enjoying now. APC can go to hell for all we care. The people of Sierra Leone have spoken through ECSL and that one has to be respected.
Have you guys asked them to bring their own disaggregated results starting from polling stations? They were having party agents at almost every polling stations in this country. U man dem nr bin serious to win election. Some of them are aware that, boycotting governance process has never find it way in Sierra Leone.
Saying that “ECSL is the only legally mandated authority to provide or released election results by stations” ECSL has already done what they legally mandated to do, anyone who contends the results should have done so through the Supreme court. Better put, the simple rule here is; he who assert must prove. Let them bring their pieces of evidence discrediting the results to the public. They have never done that..
You are very stupid in your utterances, you don’t know the implications of the APC not partaking in parliament.
I am a strong SLPP member but the APC has been oppress by the current government since they took power 2018 let remember that what goes around V V.
APC should stop crying like a baby.
Mek APC go sweh boo. What goes around comes around. When in 2012 election results were announced even when counting was still in progress. As if that was not enough, a whole district of Kailahun votes were nullified, they didn’t talk about daylight robbery, they called it free and fair elections. Me nor doubt mumu police sef. Na den time den dey waste nor mor. If APC doesn’t have life after politics, let them follow their ancestors and wait for us there.
I am currently appealing as a peaceful citizen to all APC parliamentarians not to go to the well of parliament until their demans are met. We will denounce any APC elected parliamentarian that make any attempt to go to parliament where they were beaten and forcefully removed by this government. Let them administer everything by themselves. The judgement of Allah will befall them.