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Kandeh Yumkella has completed ECSL nomination process for a second term as NGC MP in a progressive alliance with President Bio’s SLPP party.
Hon. Kandeh Yumkella, erstwhile Member of Parliament of Constituency 062 – Samu Chiefdom, Kambia District, has completed a four-day ‘thank you’ tour with his constituents in Koya, Mange, Kangbor, Mafufneh, Magbogolie, Luti, Mapotolon, Moribaya, Bubuya, Dintilpan, Kychom and Kasirie among others following the dissolution of the Fifth Parliament of the Second Republic.
The tour which took him throughout the length and breath of Samu Chiefdom saw his constituents gave him a rousing welcome in every village he visited. For them, it was important to underscore the love they have for their former representative and their pride in the work he did on their behalf during the last five years.
We wanted to make this day special for him.,” said Musu, a woman in her mid 30s. Adikali, a well respected community activist noted that “we don’t have much to give him but our loyalty and support is for him.” These are among the many sentiments expressed for the former MP who made significant strides to support and develop his constituency.
The ‘Thank You’ tour culminated with his nomination today at the district office of the Electoral Commission (ECSL) in Kambia where along with his other former MPs, his constituents accompanied him to complete the processes for a second term in parliament.
Kambia residents would recall that in January 2018, Kandeh Yumkella secured his first nomination to represent Constituency 062. While the process was fraught with efforts to disqualify him from contesting the elections both as a parliamentary and presidential candidate, he sailed through after winning three cases against him. The issue was finally settled by the nation’s highest court in June 2021.
“My nomination today to represent my people for the second time is bitter sweet,” he said. “On the one hand, it is sweet because I did not face the myriad of legal issues I faced when the Opposition APC tried to disenfranchise me. They did all they could but failed woefully. My win and our party’s win in Kambia District showed why they came after me.”
“On the other hand,” said Yumkella, “my mother was right at the Kambia District ECSL office with me. Today, she is not here with me. However, I am sure she is watching over me as we go through this process again,” he stated. He recalled how he and his mother reminisced in 2018 after the nomination how political forces conspired to prevent his late father from being nominated over 45 years ago. Yumkella will not contest the presidential elections this 2023 election period. However, he and the NGC recently formed an alliance with the ruling government of President Julius Maada Bio.
The historic partnership saw the sons of chiefs from the north and south of the country coming together to heal the regional divide the nation has continued to experience, and to foster national unity which is lacking and sorely needed if peace is to reign and development is achieved for the Sierra Leonean populace.
Both Bio and Yumkella have assured the people of Sierra Leone that they hear their pleas for help and feel their pain. Both emphasized *they hear the voices of all Sierra Leoneans who are fed up with the same old politics. However, they promised that the progressive alliance which they have entered into is – “A Common People-Centered Governance Platform for the Right Direction.”
The governance platform seeks to bring Sierra Leoneans of all stripes with the skills needed to lift Sierra Leone out of poverty through collaborative partnerships. Said Yumkella, “the progressive alliance commits to promoting transparency, eradicating poverty, addressing ignorance, and fostering a positive change,” in Sierra Leone.
Going by NGC’s mantra of putting country first ( Put Salone Fos) and SLPP’s mantra that the country will develop at all cost ( Paopa Salone Go Bette) – the alliance may just be the answer for Sierra Leone’s ailments. *For a country that puts the interests of her citizens first in all they do, will surely succeed in bringing development that matters and benefits all.
