The Leader and Flagbearer of the Unity Party, Femi Claudius-Cole has said that her party accused the Political Parties Regulation Commission (PPRC) of discrimination.

Claudius-Cole said the PPRC has deliberately blackballed her party from contesting in the 24 June elections despite meeting all required criteria. She said the treatment her party is receiving is a manifestation that the PPRC is against multi-party democracy in the country.

The PPRC, earlier, produced a list of qualified parties to participate in the forthcoming elections. They said that the Unity party has failed to conduct their lower-level elections as required by their new Act.

The Unity Party, however, denied the allegation made by the PPRC stating that they were informed through “numerous letters” informing them of their elections between December last year and February this year.

The Party opted to conduct their Delegates’ Conference on 2 March but troops from the Sierra Leone paramilitary wing halted the process citing that they were acting under a complaint from the PPRC.

“We were dismayed when troops of OSD police officers swooped in and interrupted our conference, stating that it was on the directive from the PPRC,” Claudius-Cole said.

She said that they had a meeting with the PPRC on the 4th April and they were informed that the party could not contest the June elections because they failed to conduct their lower-level elections.

Claudius-Cole accused the PPRC of targeting them deliberately as the PPRC has turned down their several attempts to meet with the Chairman.