By Ibrahim Karim Bangura (Tanko)

The electoral body, ECSL has accused the presidential candidate of the main opposition party APC, Dr. Samura Kamara of sponsoring members of the international committee.

Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL) says this comes as tension still mounts after the June 24 2023 multi-tier-elections in the country.

ECSL says Samura may repeatedly be rejecting the outcome of the final June election’s result published months ago.

In a well-attended press conference on Monday, 24th June 2024 at their ECSL headquarters office O.A.U Drive, Tower Hill in Freetown, Mr.  Mohamed K. Konneh, Chairman of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) and team told journalists that APC party had failed to accept the June polls.

He said the party had labeled the polls as widely marred by electoral fraud, massive rigging, and ill-transparent.

He said Dr. Samura Kamara is sponsoring international elections’ observers to be in the party’s good book by frequently rejecting the results while casting integrity question on ECSL.

ECSL had said a total of 2,789, 808 registered voters turned-out to cast their votes on June 24th 2023 elections which is exactly a year ago, with 52.88% being female and 47.12% being male.

The electoral body noted that the 2023 elections recorded the lowest number of invalid votes cast.

Mr Konneh said robust electoral education strategies had showed a decline of invalid voting pattern in the country.

Thus trend, he said, continues even in the paramount Chieftaincy elections with a record.

He added that the commission has presented the Annual and Multi-tier Elections Report of 2023 to President Bio.

He said that is done in fulfillment of section 32 (12) of the 1991 constitution, and the report is to be laid in parliament.

Meanwhile, he said, ECSL fully is participating in the cross-party committee on electoral review systems and management bodies also known as Tripartite.

And since the establishment of the committee, the ECSL has expressed its desire to cooperate with the Tripartite while looking forward to its recommendations to pay a way for the strengthening of Sierra Leone’s democracy.

“Section 92 of the PEA 2022 does not require the ECSL to produce disaggregated polling station results and therefore the ECSL is not in breach of any provision in the Public Elections Act 2022.”

And June 24th, 2023 election, he said, has had no over voting identified throughout all polling stations nationwide.”

However, both local and international observers have strongly rejected the electioneering process of last year June 24. The international community has observed a systemic vote rigging and vote buying.

And majority of Sierra Leoneans at home and abroad are still unhappy with the present political trend in the country.