Speaking to the participants on Saturday, May 17, 2025, at the Electoral Justice Workshop in Kenema, eastern Sierra Leone, Dr Momoh Vandi did not mince his words. As a patriotic politician with few words, Dr Momoh Vandi, popularly known as MOV, has finally decided to address the people of Sierra Leone amid the fraudulent June 24, 2023 elections. (Photo: MOV, right, posed with Dr Samura Kamara, left, Dr Frank Kargbo, second right).

Addressing the electoral justice participants at the Workshop in Kenema, MOV encouraged all to exercise patience. He believes electoral justice shall succeed because the truth never fails. “You can delay the truth, but you cannot stop the truth,” MOV is reported to have reassured the participants.

MOV is one of the most honest politicians, if not the most straightforward politician, to have come from Kenema, the headquarters of the eastern province of Sierra Leone. The people of Kenema, the so-called SLPP stronghold, know MOV is the true ‘Tok En Do’ pioneer because of his humanitarian gestures to the people. Later, the ‘Tok en Do’ MOV slogan was stolen by the SLPP/Paopa regime and made it their own.

Addressing the Workshop participants from Freetown and seven Districts in the southeast of Sierra Leone, MOV reiterated that the President-Awaiting Dr Samura Kamara of the June 24, 2023, elections noted that the APC party got surprisingly massive votes from the people of Kenema and other areas in the southeast.

MOV’s speech at the Workshop: “First, let me tell God, Allah, lots of thanks for making it possible for us to meet here today. This event should have taken place months back, but lots of things have happened in between, like the Ramadan and Lent fastings by Muslims and Christians, respectively. And other issues that took the time of participants present here. (Photo: Electoral Justice Workshop).

“But I believe God’s time is the best. I believe today is the best time we are holding this meeting. So, I want to thank God, Allah, for making this meeting possible. I want to thank you here, especially those who came from different districts, from Freetown, some drove in the rain, and I want to thank you all.

“I also want to tell Mr Sylvalie lots of thanks for coordinating the entire programme. I have gone back and forth with this proposal and this project. Well, I want you to know that our President-Awaiting Dr Samura Kamara (Applause followed), gave his blessing to this programme here. He asked me to tell you plenty of thanks. He wished he were here, too.

“But for reasons beyond his control, he could not make it. But he told me to tell you that his blessing is on this Workshop. I want you to know that President-Awaiting played a major role in making this event take place. So we need to tell him lots of thanks for his role. The other person I want to thank is Dr Frank Kargbo.

“I believe those who followed the graduation, he just got his honorary degree in Makeni. Uncle Frank played a major role in this event occurring. I think Mr Sylvalie can testify to that. These are the backbones of Dr Samura Kamara and the backbone of electoral justice. And I also have to thank you all for holding the fort.

“Some of you holding positions in the APC party, I want to thank you. You have shown that you stand with the people of this country. (Applause followed). All of you here today are patriots of the country. All of you here are true agents of democracy. We are all aware of the conduct of the elections on 2023 June 24. (Photo: Dr Samura Kamara, ECSL Chairman Mohamed Konneh and Maada Bio).

“We all knew how that election went. Some people woke up around 2 am, 3 am, 4 am, and 5 am to queue in lines to vote. I think all of us here voted that day. And I believe we voted for our votes to be reflected. But unfortunately, that did not happen. We, as a party, challenged the results.

“The leadership disagreed about the results because we believed that the elections were not free, not fair, not transparent and not credible. The international community, both national and international observers, all came out with similar statements that the tabulation was unfair.

“That day I was in Kenema, and by the time we were tabulating, they had called the results. John Sylvalie and I were together. So, as a party, we said we did not agree with the results. We had different opinions. Some said we should go to court. But the results said we should not go to court for obvious reasons. We know how the courts are in this country.

“And besides, you have to have something to go to court with. That was not available at that time. So, it was a wise decision for us to take another route. So, as a party, we all, with no exception, came to the table. Because I was in almost all the meetings, i.e. expanded National Advisory Council NAC, this and that, the results said we do not agree. (Photo: Dr Momoh Vandi).

“We made statements, we made press conferences. We made press releases, and above all, we took political action. That political action included that our people should not serve with the SLPP regime of Maada Bio. The Members of Parliament did not go, the Mayors did not go, the Councillors and Chairpersons did not go.

“I think our two MPs, Mohamed Bangura and Alfred Thompson, went. But the decision to boycott was very popular. That action showed that there was a problem because we did not agree with the election results. And there is still a problem. So, we took that decision I was part of that decision. We did lots of consultations across the country.

“With our Wards, District Executives, and Regional Executives. We met with the expanded NAC and resolved. So, it was a unanimous decision for our people to stay away from governance. I believe all of you knew about that. After some time, this government noticed that trouble was coming.

“The Bio regime said if they do not engage with the APC party and talk, there will be a problem. At the end of the day, that was how the three-day Bintumani Peace and National Unity Dialogue on October 18, 2023, came about,” MOV stated. This speech will continue in subsequent publications. Keep tuned.

Meanwhile, leading APC Social Media Bloggers based in Sierra Leone attended the Kenema Workshop. They included Mr Bockarie Lansana, Kailahun District APC PRO. The Council of APC Media Bloggers, Chairman APC Malaka Duplicate, who braved the storm to appear in the Lion’s den of the SLPP backyard.

The other participants at the Electoral Justice, Peace and Reconciliation Media Outreach workshop in Kenema include APC Encyclopaedia, the Southern Region APC PRO, Mr Mohamed Moriba, Bo District APC PRO, Mr John Sylvalie, Kenema District APC PRO, Mr D S Gbainey, Financial Secretary, Bonthe District, Mr Foday Turay, Etc.