Presidential candidate of the Sierra Leone People's Party Rtd Brigadier Julius Maada Bio has expressed grave concerns and registered his dissatisfaction over “the continuous violence and intimidation of SLPP supporters across the country”. He said since they came to power in 2007, supporters of the ruling All People's Congress had been perpetrating violence against his party's supporters, noting that the Kono incident was the most recent.
“Apart from the attack on our party office and the rape of SLPP women, stabbing and killing of an SLPP member at Fourah Bay in the eastern part of Freetown some two weeks ago, among others, there has been sustained violence,” he said.
The opposition presidential candidate also accused the “blue-eyed boy of Vice President Samuel Sam Sumana”, Ali Khalil alias Alie Bailay Bailay of instigating APC supporters in Kono “to attack supporters of the SLPP on Saturday”.
He said that according to the National Electoral Commission campaign calendar, his supporters had the right to rally on Saturday, adding that “when Ali Bailay Bailay realized that the SLPP had a huge turnout, he drove his vehicle violently on SLPP supporters and instigated his thugs to stone the rallying supporters”.
Bio accused government of “transporting arms and ammunition into Bo, Jendema and Yenga to disrupt the forthcoming elections”. He said that he had received reports from Bo that Leather Boot gave out the weapons to some ex-militia men in the city, claiming that since campaign started APC supporters had been tearing his campaign portraits across the country.
He said the APC knew that they would not win if the elections were free and fair, alleging that they had resorted to violent activities to intimidate his supporters ahead of the November polls.
“President Koroma will be held responsible if violent incidents take place in any part of the country, especially if they relate to arms and ammunition” he said and called on the International Community to keep a closer eye on issues unfolding during and after the elections.
Meanwhile, Abdulai Bayraytay, spokesman in the Ministry of Communication has dismissed the allegations. He said “it was SLPP supporters that attacked the compound of Ali Bailay Bailay chanting unprintable slogans against him saying they would kill him.”
Bayraytay said he would not delve into the details of the issue because it was under police investigations, but said the allegations about the killing of the SLPP supporter at Fourah Bay was “a domestic conflict” and had nothing to do with politics.
He described Bio’s allegations on the transporting of arms and ammunition to the south-east of the country as “not only baseless and unfounded but also inciting.” He said the ruling APC was a responsible government that believed in democracy and the Rule of Law.
On the destruction of campaign portraits, the spokesman said that supporters of the SLPP had provoked the situation by placing the campaign portraits of Bio on top of the incumbent president's as well as tearing some others.
(c) Politico 30/10/12
