By Cornelius Oguntola Melvin Deveaux
Party members and supporters doubt whether the much anticipated Commonwealth-led mediation that may overturn the June 24 presidential election result and cause a rerun of the election will go ahead this week.
Whether it holds or not, many question the rationale why the de-facto leadership has not made public details of the framework for the mediation.
Assumptions are that the reasons why the de-facto leadership decided not to petition the presidential election result do not form the basis of the framework for the expected mediation.
What is certain is that the framework for mediation will principally anchor on the Commonwealth-brokered peace pledge of May 25, 2023, and that the de-facto leadership of the All Peoples Congress party is aware the outcome of the proposed Commonwealth-led mediation will not uphold any of its stances presented in the June 30 and July 3, 2023 press releases.
After betraying his presidential bid and churning a plethora of propaganda to clear the dirty pool, the de-facto leadership now seeks to blame the National Leader and 2023 presidential candidate, Dr. Samura Kamara, and to vilify his close associates for the inability of the party to justify its claims of an electoral theft thus dashing the hopes of a good number of party members and the public that there will be a rerun of the elections.
To hush up their conspiracy in strangling what was supposed to be an outright win for Dr. Samura Kamara, the de-facto leadership of the All Peoples Congress (APC) party used propaganda based on falsehood and untruths to mislead members and supporters and incite hate against right thinking party members and our main political counterpart, the SLPP.
To a worrisome extent, holding on to this belief of an electoral theft and incited by hate, some members and supporters, including the public, have been killed, arrested, and imprisoned in their determination to challenge the so-called electoral theft, while others are in exile.
Even at the onset, the de-facto leadership knows very well that none of its calls for non-participation at all levels of governance, the resignation of the ECSL commissioners and other heads of certain government institutions, the ECSL to publish disaggregated results by polling stations, a travel ban on senior government officials and officers of the SLPP and a rerun of the elections within six months is plausible and realistic.
It is almost three months, and the falsehood and untruths are crumbling like a pack of cards. The truth now stands naked for all to behold.
None of the ECSL commissioners or heads of government institutions has resigned, and the ECSL still stands on the provisions of electoral laws and the national constitution relating to publishing the results.
The ice on the governance boycott is melting away. Two Members of Parliament and some councilors have subscribed to the oath of office, while the elected Mayor of Freetown represents the local government at international events. Many more MPs and councilors are determined to subscribe to the oath of office.
Contrary to much-touted propaganda, the high-profile engagements of the presidency and the government at UNGA78 ascertain the recognition and legitimacy of the Julius Maada Bio presidency should no longer be questionable.
Even the Commonwealth-led mediation does not lend hope for an overturn of the presidential election result and a rerun of the election.
But to further cover their tracks, the de-facto leadership and its henchmen have launched an attack of calumny against Dr. Samura Kamara and his close associates. They brand them as being responsible for the inability of the party to defend its claim of an electoral theft.
I read on social media and heard from within …