By Mabinty M. Kamara
Presenting its report on the recently conducted Koinadugu District Council and Ward Bye-elections to the wider civil society membership, the National Elections Watch (NEW) has claimed the Sierra Leone Police (SLP) poorly managed the entire process, leading to chaos at polling centres and the seizure of phones of NEW observers by officers. This prompted the Chairperson of the election observation body Marcella Samba Sesay to issue a 48 hour ultimatum to the SLP to return the phones of the NEW staff.
“Do not collect observers’ phones. We are giving 48 hours to release the phones of our observers and I want this to go to the Sierra Leone Police that we are giving 48 hours to release our observers’ phones,” she warned.
She then vowed: “If they fail to do that we are going to escalate. We are member of the West Africa Elections Observation Network, we are member of the Africa Elections Observers Network and we are member of the Global Election Observers Network. If our observers’ phones are not returned in the next 48 hours, we are going to escalate to our network members because we cannot accept that observers can be attacked at polling stations. It does not happen anywhere in the world.” Up to late yesterday Sunday evening Politico got no information as to whether the Police responded to the NEW boss’ ultimatum which she issued on Friday 8th October 2021 in Freetown.
Giving an overview of how the elections were policed, Salieu T. Kamara, Communications Person for NEW said that there were no SLP to police the election at some polling stations and as such, the chiefdom police took up the responsibility. However, he said the SLPP aspirant for the chairperson position who had no business with the electoral processes at that particular centre was seen parading there, accompanied by Police officers.
Another official from the organization, Charles Keif-Kobbai alleged that the presence of senior government officials at polling centres created some chaos. “We saw two ministers, minister of youth in the person of Orman Bangura and the deputy Minister of Political Affairs Mr. Kallon; they came in forcefully pushing voters out of the polling station that they have no business to be there and they were there to take charge. That also culminated into another chaos which was uncontrollable and so voters were affected by these skirmishes,” he said.
He cited instances of eight motor bikers that were moving from one centre to the other causing havoc.
“These same bikers according to our observers, by the descriptions given, were seen in the village where the Police station was burnt and voter materials burnt. This is highly unprecedented; we have never seen this in our elections even during the war period. Elections materials were carted away but for ballot boxes to be burnt this is the first time we are seeing this,” he said.
He added: “It is a call for concern for us all as citizens and defenders of democracy so we have to speak aloud on this. We also want the international community to be alerted on this that we are afraid of what will be the outcome of the 2023 elections. Our observers deployed in one of the polling precincts, had their observation materials and mobile phones taken away. This is unacceptable,” he said.
The group also noted that a physically- challenged party agent of the All Peoples Congress was manhandled at Badala because he questioned the SLPP aspirant about his presence at the centre. Members of the group present at the meeting made several recommendations especially on the protection of their observers.
NEW also noted that a data entry staff of the National Electoral Commission was allegedly caught entering more figures in favour of the SLPP candidate than scored. The tallying of votes according to the group was however later moved to Freetown due to security concerns. They therefore called on NEC to investigate the allegations against their staff and for all those that caused havoc in the electioneering process to be brought to book.
The Police Media and Public Relations Officer, Assistant Commissioner Brima Kamara when contacted by Politico about the ultimatum and other issues raised by NEW, was very circumspect, saying the Police management will study the report and come out with an appropriate response.
Copyright © Politico Online 11/10/21
