By Mohamed Vandi in Kenema
Supporters of the United Democratic Movement (UDM) in Kenema including their Mayoral Candidate and District Executive on Tuesday declared their support for the main opposition Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP).
It followed the decision by the UDM leader, Mohamed Bangura to withdraw from the presidential race and endorse incumbent president Ernest Bai Koroma.
At the SLPP office on Hanga Road in Kenema, the erstwhile UDM Mayoral Candidate for the Kenema City Council, Francis Abdul Musa said that they had gone to pledge their unflinching support for the SLPP and their flag-bearer, Julius Maada Bio.
He said the UDM leader had “misused, abandoned and misdirected the vision” of the party by publicly declaring his support for President Koroma and the All People’s Congress party. He said the action of Bangura demonstrated his “incapability” to head a political party.
“Bangura has chosen to team up with the APC. We in the Eastern Region have decided to declare our support for the SLPP. We have consulted our membership and all of our supporters and we are all prepared to vote for the SLPP come Saturday,” he said. He urged his supporters to vote for the SLPP candidate for mayorship.
“I have declared for the SLPP and from today all of our supporters will vote for the palm tree,” he declared.
UDM Regional Secretary General, Henry Kowa declared his support and called on all members and supporters of the party to vote the SLPP in Saturday's elections. He said their party leader had deceived them by declaring his support for president Koroma and his APC party without first consulting the party hierarchy. He said since Bangura single-handedly took the decision to declare for the APC, they in the Eastern Region had also consented to cross over to the SLPP without consulting him.
Present in the meeting were other top executive members including Friends of Mohamed Bangura, one of the strongest support groups of the UDM. SLPP Regional Secretary General, Andrew Fatorma welcomed the new members. He said his party was for every Sierra Leonean and that they were delighted to receive their “brothers and sisters. He said that from henceforth the defected UDM members were SLPP and would be treated like any other party member.
The Public Relations Officer of the SLPP, Yankuba Nyallay said his party's new vision of ‘The New Direction’ would embrace all those who believed in their ideology. He pleaded with the new converts to mount an effective sensitization of their members.
“You are all welcome to the SLPP, and don’t also forget to let your members know that they should now vote for SLPP”.
The Regional Chairman of UDM Sahr Yongai was not present in the declaration meeting of his members, but Politico contacted him to know his views about the action of his members. Yongai said his members are “mature people and have taken reasonable decision for an established political party.”
(c) Politico 15/11/12
