By Chernor Alimamy Kamara
The National Delegates Conference of the main opposition All People’s Congress (APC) scheduled for this weekend in Makeni has been put on hold following an interim injunction from Justice Hannah Bonnie of the High Court, restraining the party from holding the event.
The court order was addressed to the Interim Transition Governance Committee (ITGC) of the APC.
The event which would have run from 17-19 February, 2023 in Makeni, cannot take place until the court conducts a hearing, following the filing of an application for a court injunction on the 14th February by APC member Francis Kai Gbondo, until the determination of the application. The court issued the injunction notice yesterday 16th February, 2023.
A statement from the Chairman of the ITGC, Alfred Peter Conteh dated 16th February, 2023 acknowledged receipt of notification of the injunction, and said the committee will communicate the new dates for the conference after the court hearing slated for the 23rd February.
The Sierra Leone Police (SLP) in a statement yesterday acknowledged receipt of the court injunction which supersedes an earlier one they issued that approved the party’s request to give coverage at their delegates conference.
The Police noted that the order of the high court supersedes the clearance they issued to the party and have decided to withdraw the clearance.
Meanwhile a press release yesterday signed by the Secretary of the ITGC, Abdul Kargbo in response to the injunction, recalled a court order given to them by Justice Adrian J. Fisher dated 23rd November 2022 and 27th January 2023 which ordered the party amongst other things to conduct its national delegates conference on or before 25th February 2023 to elect its national officers.
But the APC, in the release noted that, late afternoon on 15th February 2023, they saw an unsigned draft Court Order ‘purportedly’ issued by Justice Bonnie restraining the committee from going ahead with the APC conference.
It further stated that this court order has been ‘mischievously’ interpreted by certain persons to mean that the APC has been injuncted from proceeding with the event.
The APC party concerned that the ‘purported’ court action is different from that presided over by Justice Fisher, and being that the party was not referenced in the body, content and spirit of the ‘purported’ court order that followed it, has affirmed its commitment to strictly follow to the letter, the orders of the Justice Fisher.
The party affirmed its resolve to proceed with the Party’s National Delegates Conference scheduled for 17th, 18th, and 19th February 2023.
Copyright © 2023 Politico Online (17/02/23)
