The pressure is really piling on the embattled Maada Bio from the global partners centring around the June 24, 2023 elections. Diplomatic sources have intimated that the international community have recently ordered Maada Bio to prepare the elections results in his possession. This is the first time Maada Bio has been told by the development partners to prepare his authentic elections results. This instruction by the international community has come after the two days’ meeting at the Brooksfields Hotel in Freetown where the Tripartite Committee members and the external stakeholders met and discussed the electoral process. (Photo: Maada Bio flanked by Dr Samura Kamara and Aja Fatoumata-Jallow Tambajang).

Seven days to go towards the conclusion of the Tripartite Committee Investigations, diplomatic pressures behind the scenes are going on. Reports have confirmed that Maada Bio has been strongly advised to justify his June 24 elections success by preparing the results and any evidence for inspection after the extended deadline to prove his victory. Saturday June 29, 2024 is the next deadline when the extended period for Tripartite Committee is expected to conclude its work on Resolution Three specifically. (Photo: During the June 19 meeting at State House).

Resolution 3 of the Tripartite is one of the many Resolutions that have not been completed due to the deliberate foot dragging exercises of the 7-man SLPP representatives on the Committee. This delay inevitably triggered the international community to force the signatures of both SLPP and APC officials to probe Resolution Three, which talks about the fraudulent June 24, 2023 elections. Much to the delight of the majority of suffering Sierra Leoneans who want their votes on June 24 respected, the people believe the commencement of investigating Resolution Three will go a long way to usher democracy and restore constitutional rule in Sierra Leone.

That is why the request made on Thursday June 20 by the international community for Maada Bio to prepare his elections results is very significant. This demand by the international community has worried Maada Bio big time because it is apparent that the SLPP regime do not have the June 24, 2023 elections otherwise they would have made it public a long time ago. Most people believe Bio did not win the June 24 elections. Mohamed Konneh, the crook Chairman of the Electoral Commission ECSL cannot even substantiate his 60% votes cast result that he used to announce Maada Bio as President. (Photo: During the meeting at State House).

But the extended deadline to June 29 will force Mohamed Konneh to produce all the data on time. The lack of transparency, the lack of free, fair, credible, and peaceful elections before, during and after the June 24, 2023 multi-tier elections have convinced all the foreign elections observers and even the locally based National Elections Watch NEW of Marcella Samba-Sesay that the Bio’s presidency is not legitimate. As of date, no democratic nations or institutions have recognised or even congratulated Maada Bio. And the imposition of financial and economic sanctions on Maada Bio’s SLPP regime, are indicative of this global snub.

Reports have also indicated that the international community do not really believe that the stupid Maada Bio would comply peacefully, and it is more of the reason why they have ordered Maada Bio to prepare his victory results for scrutiny, if any. Reports from diplomatic quarters have confirmed that contingency plans are already afoot to implement the Tripartite Committee recommendations peacefully or forcefully. The ECOMOG troops stationed in Sierra Leone and in neighbouring countries are on red alert for immediate deployments do the need arises. (Photo: President Ramaphosa during his swearing in).

Sources have additionally advised the APC party officials to prepare their own elections results by the June 29 deadline. As we go to press, APC sources say they are compiling all the necessary evidential proofs to show that they did win the June 24, 2023 elections. The APC leader Dr Samura Kamara who is widely believed to have won the June 24 general and presidential elections have reiterated that there will be no peace if there is no electoral justice. The APC leader Dr Samura Kamara made this bold national address on Wednesday June 19 after the State House meeting witnessed by the foreign delegation.

In the recent joint press statement ECOWAS, AU, UNOWAS dated June 18, 2024, follow up mission on the ‘Agreement for National Unity’ signed between the SLPP and APC. It reads thus: “The President of the ECOWAS Commission Omar Alieu Touray, in consultations with the Chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki, and the Special Representative of the Secretary General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Leonardo Santos Simao, has deployed a Joint ECOWAS-AU-UNOWAS Assessment Mission to the Republic of Sierra Leone, as a follow up to the Agreement for National Unity signed between the SLPP and APC on October 18, 2023. Aja Fatoumatta Jallow-Tambajang, the former Vice President of Gambia was also present.”