Samura Kamara Questions Legitimacy of SLPP Govt

During the ongoing dialogue, the 2023 Presidential Candidate of the main opposition APC party, Samura Kamara has questioned the legitimacy of the current administration of the SLPP led government, citing lack of transparency in vote counting and other undemocratic actions such as harassment of APC members.

He further exposed the shenanigans of the Chief Electoral Commissioner in allegedly rigging the 2023 Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Council Elections in favor of His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio and the led SLPP government. He further criticizes the SLPP for their inconsistencies in their actions and statements, stating further by implying that they’re not genuinely interested in peace or dialogue.

Over the refusal of the ECSL to release the disaggregated results, Samura Kamara has accused ECSL of hiding the true data that reflects the actual votes of the people. He further described the act of ECSL as a daylight robbery that even local and international observation missions have expressed concerns about the electoral process, and some diplomatic entities have paused their development assistance to the country.

Further making a case for his political party, Dr. Samura Kamara acknowledged the invaluable contributions of the international community in upholding the democracy, peace, security, development, and stability of the country. He further disclosed that the 2023 elections were marred by premeditated actions aimed at rigging, including violence, intimidation and the misuse of state institutions. He recalled that, after the 2018 elections, the APC party peacefully transitioned power to the SLPP but has since faced constant harassment, leading to a waned democratic space in the country. Due to glaring irregularities and the absence of granular results, on behalf of the APC party, Samura Kamara has called for a rerun of the 2023 elections.

‘’The country is at a crossroads, grappling with political intimidation, economic woes and poor governance,’’ he blasts, adding by arguing that these challenges led the people to vote for a change in leadership, which they were denied due to the flawed electoral process. Samura Kamara insists that systemic issues need urgent fixing and that the true test of leadership will be choosing what is right for the people and the nation even when it is difficult. He calls for mutual respect, open listening, and collective efforts to find lasting solutions to the problem. He continued by expressing hope that the dialogue will pave the way for restoring democracy and social justice in Sierra Leone.