After the pleasantries in the presence of the international mediators led by the Gambian former Vice President, the APC leader Dr Samura Kamara started the ball rolling by giving an inspirational speech full of optimism on one hand and on the other, less enthusiastic and dull depending on the Sierra Leone audience around the world. The majority of Sierra Leoneans feel hopeful and delighted about Dr Samura Kamara’s motivating opening speech at the Bintumani Hotel in Freetown. There are however a handful of citizens who wanted more grit and vigour from Samura. (Photo: Mediating Team leader Madam Jallow, the former Gambian VP flanked by Sengeh and Samura).

Generally, Dr Samura Kamara’s speech yesterday was well received by the international community and most Sierra Leoneans but clearly, it was another dark day for the illegitimate SLPP regime of Julius Maada Bio who was conspicuously absent from the Dialogue meeting. Even his criminal electoral thief Mohamed Kenewui Konewui, the Chairman of the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone ECSL was absent. Since the chaotic June 24, 2023 general and presidential elections, which Maada Bio publicly stole, all the national and international elections observers have condemned the outcome of the polls describing it as not free and fair, not credible and not transparent and accountable.

Dr Samura Kamara, the real winner of the June 24 elections, had since stood firm to fight for democracy and the people’s mandate and to restore the people’s votes. Yet, the corrupt Bio presidency refused to accept criminality. Besides the boycott of the Bio regime by the elected APC members of parliament, the Mayors, Councillors, and the Chairpersons in the past few months, the Bio presidency has been strangulated by international partners for his deliberate electoral frauds in Sierra Leone. Imposition of travel bans on SLPP officials including Maada Bio and his Mob Justice wife Fatima Jabbe Bio, and financial sanctions among other stringent embargoes have destroyed Maada Bio.

Hear what Dr Samura Kamara said yesterday: “Let me observe that the frank disclosure of our electoral failings and shortcomings in the management of the June 2023 elections by the diplomatic community should be taken in good faith as invaluable inputs for strengthening our democracy and democratic institutions to better protect the rights and reflect the aspirations of the people of Sierra Leone. Your Excellencies, the collective presence of the Commonwealth, the AU, and ECOWAS, and the respective reports of international observation missions, have given us the confidence we need to engage in this dialogue, which we hope will be meaningful to the future of democracy and democratic practices in Sierra Leone. We pray that your efforts do not go in vain.”

Yestesday, they held three meetings. First was the opening speeches by the Mediators, Dr Samura Kamara, David Sengeh for the SLPP and others. Secondly, the Mediating Team spoke privately with the SLPP and thirdly, they met with the APC officials. It was a blow for the SLPP when Dr Keifala Marrah made the presentation for the APC. The envoys from the UK, the US, EU were present yestesday. Mallam of the APC media confirmed the report. Samura’s full speech is as follows –

Post-Elections Stalemate – Dialogue Facilitated by the Commonwealth, African Union, and the Economic Community of West African States

Opening Statement by Dr Samura Matthew Wilson Kamara Leader and Presidential Candidate, All Peoples Congress (APC)

Distinguished representatives of the Commonwealth, African Union, and the Economic Community of West African States;

Leadership and staff of the National Peace Commission of Sierra Leone; Members of the Diplomatic and Consular Corps;

Representatives of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP); Comrades of the All Peoples Congress (APC) here present, Members of the Press;

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,

Fellow Sierra Leoneans

Good morning.

Let me start by humbly welcoming you all to this historic and defining moment of our time – holding an inter-political party dialogue that aims to find a consensual solution to a governance stalemate. I especially appreciate the presence of the representatives from the Commonwealth, the African Union, and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), who have taken their time, and spent their resources to be with us here today. Their presence is a clear testament, and demonstration of their commitment to the achievement of democracy, peace, security, development, and stability, in our beloved Sierra Leone and elsewhere in the rest of the world. Thank you very much Your Excellency Madam Fatoumata Jallow, Former Vice President of the Republic of The Gambia for agreeing to facilitate the Dialogue by joint courtesy of the AU and ECOWAS. Thank you also Prof Luis from the Commonwealth. Hearty congratulations from the people of Sierra Leone to your colleague, Prof Scobbie, for this high achievement. These three institutions together with our other development partners continuously engaged us, as a Party, on the need for all political parties and other stakeholders to work together to ensure a peaceful election outcome, and to commit to the tenets of democracy and the rule of law, as we embarked on the June 2023 elections. (Photo: SLPP delegation).

One important outcome of our engagements with our international partners was the signing of the Peace Pledge, a few weeks before the elections. A pledge that the APC fully adhered to. For us, in the APC, our paramount interest has always been, and will continue to be, the peace, security, and stability of our beloved country, Sierra Leone. Accordingly, our commitment to having free, fair, credible, and non-violent elections has been attested to in our several press releases, before, during, and after the elections. Unfortunately, the entire electioneering process was plagued with a plethora of premeditated and carefully structured actions aimed at rigging the elections before and throughout the entire election process, including the perpetration of violence, intimidation, and a disproportionate display of gun power against the leadership, members, and supporters of the APC. We also suffered from a deep-rooted ethno-regional drive that has succeeded in dividing the country, and worst of all, from state capture and partisan use of public institutions, including all elections management bodies, which further deepened the divide in the country and fuelled the brutalisation of the opposition in their homes and in their communities, many simply because they are either APC, or north-westerners, or perceived not to have voted SLPP, or carrying a Samura identity.

Your Excellencies Lead Facilitators, it is this premeditated and ingrained hate, along with untold anger, intolerance, and tribalistic tendencies within the Bio regime against the opposition since 2018 that represents today, the bedrock of Sierra Leone’s heightened political tension. This is something we cannot ignore or set aside if we want to restore democracy and bring back peace and stability in Sierra Leone; a country with tremendous potential and prospects to build and secure lasting hope and an enviable future for all. It is worth noting that the June 24, 2023 election, and its aftermath, was merely a culmination of the reasons that have brought us here today. Since 2018, when the APC peacefully transitioned power to the SLPP, the leadership, members, and supporters of the APC party, have never been at peace under this regime. We handed over power to the SLPP because we respect democracy and democratic processes. Whilst we did question the results produced by the electoral commission, we had no doubt that handing over power was the right thing to do. To us, the interest of the nation was much more paramount than our partisan and personal interests. Importantly, we wanted to keep the country united. Sierra Leoneans had, prior to 2018, worked hard for 15 years to ensure that we built on the hard-earned peace and democracy that the country had enjoyed since the civil war ended in 2002.

However, on taking power in 2018, the SLPP made it their primary focus, to directly target the leadership, membership, and even sympathisers of the APC, while at the same time fragmenting the country and setting the stage for the state we are in today – a deteriorating democratic space. The instrumentalization of the police, the military, and notably the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone, led to a culture of impunity that would see the electoral commission, produced 2023 election results that did not reflect the will of the people, and that saw the leadership of the APC directly targeted at the party office while election results were being awaited, resulting, unfortunately, in one of our members eventually killed by the state security personnel. This and several other extra-judicial killings still remain un-investigated. On June 24, 2023, Sierra Leoneans, irrespective of tribal or party affiliations, and continual intimidation, went to the polls in their largest numbers ever seen in a Presidential and General election to make their voices heard, which was very inspiring. They expected free and fair elections since these are essential for democracy. In the end, the Chief Electoral Commissioner, Mr Mohammed Konneh, and his team of Commissioners could not produce the disaggregated results of the elections at all polling stations to show that President Bio actually won the June 2023 Presidential election. (Photo: SLPP greets APC officials).

Your Excellencies, distinguished ladies, and gentlemen, the questions that all of us, well-meaning and patriotic Sierra Leoneans, are asking is: Why is the Sierra Leone Electoral Commission refusing to publish all certified polling station results? What are they hiding? Who are they working for? What gives them the urge to deprive the people of their constitutional rights?? Since announcing the results of the elections, Mr Konneh, a man who had served the African Development Bank at the high office of Principal Investigator (Fraud and Corruption), and his commissioners, have been repeatedly called upon by the main opposition APC party, the international community and Sierra Leoneans, at home and abroad, to publish the disaggregated results at all polling stations but for some strange reason other than that of covering up their fraudulent track, they are refusing to publish all polling station result forms (RRFs) signed by political parties, polling station agents, returning officers and certified election observers. Surely, our facilitators, law or no law, releasing these results would enhance transparency and accountability, which is essential for public confidence in the declared outcome. What has become apparent, and perhaps unknown to them, is that by the very dangerous and unprecedented behaviour of the Electoral Commission, not publishing the disaggregated results, they have further compounded an already existing atmosphere of fear, violence, insecurity, as well as political and economic uncertainties in the country.

By the end of President Bio’s five-year administration, let it be known that Sierra Leone was at a crossroads ahead of the June 2023 elections. The country was faced with political intimidation and injustice, poor economic stewardship, high unemployment, unbearable high cost of living, high inflation, unstoppable fall in domestic currency, low trust and confidence in government, a discredited midterm population census, increasing hunger and poverty, and very unnecessary new electoral laws. There was widespread agreement during my campaign trail that these challenges, exacerbated by food shortages, poor infrastructure and the rising cost of fuel and transportation, and expensive health, and education services were the most pressing issues, hence the people voted vehemently for change to a political leadership more capable to address their pains and sufferings. Alas! Mr Konneh dashed their hopes by not giving them the leader they actually voted for. Our Facilitators, the APC have contested Mr Konneh’s announced election results in their entirety, because of glaring irregularities and rigging. The failure by Mr Konneh to produce the 2023 granular election results at the district level, led our party to demand a RERUN, holding that these results at the level requested are either not available or if they do exist, they are being hidden because they do not represent the true vote of the people. In the interim, the APC decided to boycott governance at both central and local government levels. International and local observation missions have also expressed serious concerns about the electoral process and the announced results, citing irregularities and statistical inconsistencies. They have called for publication of the disaggregated results per polling station to allow for public scrutiny of the results. They concluded that unless that happened transparency was compromised. In their report, the EU Observation Mission stated the following: “Voters’ trust in the credibility of elections was undermined by lack of transparency during critical stages of the process, particularly during the tabulation process, and by significant inconsistencies in the results”

In addition, several of the diplomatic community in the country have echoed these sentiments and some have expressed their dissatisfaction by applying sanctions and a pause in development assistance. They are yet to endorse the ECSL results nor congratulate Brgd Rtd Julius Maada Bio as President. Let me observe that the frank disclosure of our electoral failings and shortcomings in the management of the June 2023 elections by the diplomatic community should be taken in good faith as invaluable inputs for strengthening our democracy and democratic institutions to better protect the rights and reflect the aspirations of the people of Sierra Leone. It should be appreciated that elections management apart, this very diplomatic community, some of whom our colleagues in nation-building are now vilifying, mainly for political posturing, intolerance to criticism, and gaining political mileage, have worked for many decades in Sierra Leone across the political and socio-economic spectrums to strengthen the country’s post-conflict development effort. Your Excellencies, the collective presence of the Commonwealth, the AU, and ECOWAS, and the respective reports of international observation missions, have given us the confidence we need to engage in this dialogue, which we hope will be meaningful to the future of democracy and democratic practices in Sierra Leone. We pray that your efforts do not go in vain. (Photo: APC and SLPP yesterday).

The APC has taken time to develop a position paper that is detailed. Separate elaborations and pieces of evidence will be presented during the dialogue. I have therefore limited my words here, to avoid going into the content of that paper. However, I would like to note that our position is clear and precise. It was developed through an inclusive process, with the views of a wide range of stakeholders taken into consideration. Our position is not about the interests of individuals or just our party, but rather, the interests of both the current and future generations, including from the SLPP. Our position is also about the interests of many other Sierra Leoneans, who are not APC, and who voted and wanted to have their vote counted. We are not a disgruntled group but for the purpose of this conversation, and until our votes are transparently counted and the granular results by polling station made public, there is no winner, neither is there a loser. Without releasing the disaggregated vote counts, the people have no way of knowing the outcome of their voting efforts. Hence, at this table, we are dialoguing with colleagues representing an illegitimate administration, whose executive, legislature, and other public appointments are beneficiaries of a stolen election.

I can easily draw your attention to the varied unguided utterances and some bad-faith actions by members of this illegitimate administration especially on the eve of the dialogue. These include the continuation of parliamentary sessions and threats against our elected MPs, Mayors, and Chairmen relative to their tenure and other entitlements. All meaningful political engagements of national interest are usually preceded by preambles and signaling. As a party, the APC has engaged with its stakeholders to prepare them for the dialogue and possible outcomes. In addition, we have signaled through the Peace Commission that we are coming to this dialogue with an open mind, a genuine desire for peace, and an anxious urge to reach a consensual resolution that can enable the country to get back on the path to development progress and democracy, once again. Regrettably, political posturing from some of our colleagues on the other side of this dialogue table is not sending encouraging signals to us in the APC, to the citizens of Sierra Leone, and to the world at large. You cannot say you are seeking peace but at every opportunity, you try to put the rug under the feet of others. The targeted COI appeal cases and ongoing arrests and harassment of APC supporters are cases in point. You cannot want peace and continue to impose an acting Mayor in FCC, which the SLPP lost convincingly. You cannot want to pursue peace and give ultimatums to APC-elected councilors on the eve of a national dialogue.

In this dialogue, we are faced with two important scenarios, going forward. As a passionate but neutral commentator indicated to me, the easy path for us both is to stay in our entrenched positions and to dig deeper to fight only for the outcome each party believes is right for itself. For the APC to move on, it is important to look back and recognise the democratic injustice to the citizens within the context of a hastily installed illegitimate administration as if all is normal. For the SLPP to move on, it is important to look forward while recognising the injustice of an electoral coup against the citizens and how this can be peacefully mitigated for now and into the future. The courageous path is to change the rules of the game and to come up with a spirit of reconciliation without losing the baby with the bath water; without making the voters worse off than where they are after this unprecedented election fraud. Or by avoiding a language of winning or losing; or staying strong or giving in, that boxes in our respective positions even before the dialogue starts. We have an opportunity to look for that point of equilibrium and solutions, and not where we disagree; an opportunity to put aside for this moment, party colours, intimidatory tactics, noisy supporters, and personal pride and ego, and to recognise that this is a matter of national importance, not a battleground for political giants; and finally, an opportunity to recognise that we need to look both backward and forwards, to be open to listening and to be mutually respectful. We in the APC are ready to do this. Are you in the SLPP? (Photo: APC leader Dr Samura Kamara yesterday).

In conclusion, we are not doing this in a vacuum. The social, economic, and political context is obviously very challenging and our people are suffering. The economy continues to worsen given the funding squeeze and uncertainty in domestic and international investor appetite. We owe it to our citizens to put all our efforts into building cohesion and finding a win-win way forward that puts them in pole position. We are all here both as political parties and as domestic and international facilitators because we recognise that the present electoral and other state management systems are fundamentally broken, and need urgent and sustainable fixing. We cannot fulfill the country’s potential if so many of our people feel their vote is not respected. It is a test of leadership to choose what is right even when it’s difficult or our people may criticise us for that. I do recognise that our shared legacy as leaders must be that we have found a way forward that puts our people and country first. Every, second, every minute, and every hour we spend here, at this dialogue, must point us in the right direction. But first, we must unravel and accept the TRUTH.

And thereafter, we must have the strength and creativity to identify and collectively pursue those institutional reforms that will provide us with lasting pathways to social justice and democracy. We must swallow our ego, and our pride and do what is RIGHT for our people and in the best interest of our beloved nation. Let me state that our people are curiously waiting to see what will come out of this dialogue. In this dialogue, there has to be a path to restoring democracy and the people’s stolen vote. This is what the APC party leadership stands for and is fighting for. I pray that the process will be guided by the presence and Grace of Almighty God, so that we will have an outcome that will move this land that we love, our Sierra Leone, out of this dark trajectory, that it is trapped in. Thank you very much, and may God bless us all!

THE APC DIALOGUE TEAM

1. DR SAMURA KAMARA
2. ALHAJI MINKAILU MANSARAY
3. AMB O.F YANSANEH
4. LANSANA DUMBUYA Esq
5. DR KELFALA MARRAH
6. AFRICANUS S SESAY Esq
7. YVONNE AKI-SAWYER
8. HON ABDUL KARGBO
9. ALIMAMY PETITO KOROMA

STAND FIRM TO DELIVER FOR APC AND SALONE

SLPP DIALOGUE TEAM

1. DR. DAVID SENGEH
2. DR. HANNAH MAX-KYNE
3. MELROSE KAMITY
4. IBRAHIM KANJA SESAY
5. TAMBA LAMINA
6. NAPOLEON KOROMA
7. FRANCIS A. KALLON
8. HON. MATHEW NYUMA
9. DR. EMMANUEL GAIMA